OSU holds off Michigan for spot in Big Ten final
Michigan misses last shot as Buckeyes nearly blow late 13-point lead.
A dominating stretch of defense let the Buckeyes build a 13-point lead that proved to be just enough for a 68-67 win Saturday.
Ohio State basketball is headed to the Big Ten Championship Game after knocking off Michigan 68-67 in a defensive-minded semifinal that came down to a final shot.
The Buckeyes had built a 13-point lead with a dominating stretch of defense and Duane Washington/E.J. Liddell-fueled offense, taking a 63-50 lead on Liddell’s two free throws 4:19 left. But as has been repeatedly the case in the last three weeks, Ohio State labored to close out the game.
The Wolverines — with Isaiah
Livers in a walking boot on the bench alongside Franz Wagner, who had fouled out — got nine points from Hunter Dickinson down the stretch and a 3-pointer from Chaundee Brown with 47 seconds left to draw within a point.
When C.J. Walker stepped on the endline under the OSU basket, Michigan had 28 seconds to complete the comeback. But as had been the case for much of the game, the Buckeyes denied Mike Smith any clear passing lanes, and with the seconds ticking down, Smith (1-for-11 on the day, 10 points) was forced into a step-back jumper from the top of the key over Liddell, which banged harmlessly off the bracket. The Buckeyes, 3-0 this week,
will face Illinois for the conference tournament title on Sunday afternoon.
This game didn’t have the same
high-level offense fans were treated to during a 92-87 regular-season Michigan win in Columbus. The second act inside Lucas Oil Stadium showcased two teams weakened by injuries which struggled to find open shots in the first 20 minutes.
The No. 9 ranked Buckeyes were without starting center Kyle Young after he suffered his second concussion in three weeks by taking an elbow to the head from Purdue’s Trevion Williams. The No. 4 Wolverines had lost their second-leading scorer in Livers to a stress injury that apparently occurred in last week’s loss to the Illini and worsened in Thursday’s win over Maryland.
That doesn’t include the number of smaller aches and pains that happened in Saturday’s game.
Hunter Dickinson (21 points) left briefly after hurting his right wrist, E.J. Liddell (18 points) spent time with trainers on the bench after blocking a shot and hurting his right hand, and Seth Towns spent most of his time on the bench riding a stationary bike to keep loose the left knee that has seen a number of surgeries.
Add in Justice Sueing (nine points) being in constant need of a heating pad on the bench to support a groin injury he’s been dealing with for weeks, and you get the furthest thing from a healthy group.
But despite shooting just 30% from the field, the Buckeyes were down only 27-26 at halftime. Like in the first meeting, a win over Michigan was going to take a fight. It just wouldn’t have quite as many fireworks along the way. A team not known for its defensive ability would have to hold down its opponent while giving the offense a chance to wake up.
That started at the 15:44 mark of the second half when Liddell hit made back-to-back 3s, followed by Duane Washington Jr. (24 points) making two more.
The Wolverines kept up for the moment with the help of a goaltending on Wagner that wasn’t called and a questionable foul call on a Smith 3-point attempt, but the momentum was starting to shift.
Suddenly, Ohio State was up 53-43 with 9:06 left to play following an 11-0 run capped off by a three-point play from Walker.
That offered another chance to actually hold onto — if not build upon — a significant lead down the stretch.
For the third day in a row, Ohio State didn’t exactly succeed at that task, but it didn’t totally fail, either. That’s been the story of the Buckeyes’ tournament run.