The Buckeyes got their revenge.
Ohio State fell to rival Michigan during the regular season in a hard-fought 92-87 game that came down to the final seconds. That didn't sit right with the team at the time, and they vowed to get their revenge if they had a chance in the postseason.
“We’ll definitely see them again,” Duane Washington Jr. said in the aftermath of the regular season loss.
"We always remember the time they beat us and they celebrated in front of our faces,” E.J. Liddell said of the teams' previous losses.
Another day of REVENGE... but We really want this one #OH
— Meechie Johnson (@MeechieJohnson0) March 13, 2021
On Saturday afternoon, the Buckeyes got that chance at revenge, and they made the most of it, downing the Wolverines 68-67 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals – the game that mattered, according to Washington.
“Everybody knows we lost to them earlier in the year. It was one of the best college basketball games, if not the best, of the year," Washington said after the game. "We were really excited for this one. We got the one that quote-unquote ‘mattered’ and we’re moving on.”
For Washington – a Michigan native from Grand Rapids – these games have an extra bit of meaning.
"Everyone wanted to go to Michigan (or) Michigan State growing up, where I’m from at least," Washington said. "So, it’s just that extra little chip in the back of my head. And I’m on the rivals, or I’m on the dark side for the guys back home. But in Columbus, I went to the good side.”
It may not be the same as football – where Ohio State has won 15 of the last 16 matchups with its rivals to the north – but Chris Holtmann and the team knows what's at stake whenever the Buckeyes compete with Michigan in anything. And he understands the importance of coming away with a victory.
“This rivalry means a lot to a lot of our guys, especially to guys that have grown up in Ohio and even guys like E.J. who now have seen after a couple years, a year and a half, what these games mean to our fans," Holtmann said after the game. "We carry that with us. We know what it means to our fans. We carry that with us.
"We know what it means to our fans," Holtmann continued. "Duane feels that. He knows what this game means to our fans. It's not football. We understand that. But Duane Washington, he cares about that, and he is as dialed in in these games more than any he plays his entire career."
