Without Dickinson, Michigan nabs quad 1 in at Ohio State

On the road against a ranked rival, no Juwan Howard, no Hunter Dickinson. Everything was stacked against the Michigan Wolverines today, but they still come out on top against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. DeVante’ Jones was masterful today, going for 21 points and dishing out nine assists. With the 75-69 win, the Wolverines should be going to the NCAA Tournament.

First Half

This one was back and forth for the 16 minutes or so before Ohio State created some separation going into halftime. Terrance Williams was huge off the bench for Michigan and picked up some of the slack from losing Dickinson. Williams had 11 first half points and went 3-for-4 from deep. EJ Liddell paced Ohio State with 10 points in the first half.

The Buckeyes led 29-28 with around three minutes left, but an 8-2 spurt by Ohio State to close the half put the Bucks up 37-30 at the break.

Second Half

A different Michigan team came out of the locker room for the second half. The Wolverines were down seven to begin the half, but grew their lead up to 12 at one point as they bullied the Buckeyes during the first 10 minutes of the half.

Michigan’s defense was stifling and the Wolverines were knocking down big shots, including two huge back-to-back deep ones from Jones. Ohio State fought back and trimmed the lead down to four when play wasn’t stopped after Jones was injured on the ground after a made bucket. Even with breaks like that going Ohio State’s way, it still couldn’t get the win. At home. With Michigan missing its head coach and best player.

This win should get Michigan into the tournament, but a couple wins in Indianapolis next weekend certainly wouldn’t hurt. There are still a few games left today to figure out seeding, but expect the Wolverines to play in the early Thursday game in the 8-9 matchup.