Even the referee thought Michigan-Ohio State was exciting - MLive.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There were 22 made 3-pointers, 179 total points, and little separation between the rivals for much of the afternoon. Sunday’s regular-season matchup between Michigan and Ohio State had Final Four vibes.

Even a referee had to admit it was quality basketball.

“I remember one of the refs looking at me and he was like, ‘This is a great game,’” Michigan guard Eli Brooks recalled afterwards. “I was like, ‘You’re not wrong there.’”

The Wolverines could both recognize and celebrate that assessment after leaving Columbus with a 92-87 victory.

“That was a game that I kind of can compare to a boxing match where one team delivered a blow and then the other team delivered another blow,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. “And then it kept going back and forth.”

Ohio State gained a five-point edge nine minutes in, but Michigan quickly erased it with an 8-0 run. The Wolverines went up six later in the half before Ohio State reclaimed the lead. Five times in the first half alone one team answered the other team’s 3-pointer with a 3 of its own.

Lead changes were the norm in the second half too. The margin was not larger than six points until the final minute, solidifying this as one of the better games of the college basketball season to date.

And let’s be honest: If it had finished 68-65, the talk would have been much different. Alas, there were points. Lots of ‘em.

Michigan shot 10-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half. The ball and player movement was superb. Howard credited his team for keeping things simple. The Wolverines had just seven turnovers.

“Everyone really enjoys playing with one another so it’s easy to share the ball,” Michigan center Hunter Dickinson said. “When I see a double team coming towards me, I have the utmost confidence in whoever they’re leaving open to make that shot. More than likely they do hit the shot. I never want to be a player who’s looked at as a black hole when they throw it in there. I want to engage in the ball movement as well.”

Dickinson did just that, especially in the first half. When Ohio State tried defending him one-on-one, the 7-foot-1 freshman was more aggressive. He scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. Howard credited his private film session with Dickinson on Saturday night.

Chaundee Brown was big off the bench, draining a 3 in his first 10 seconds of action. The senior had a feeling it would be that kind of day.

“I told (teammate) Isaiah Livers in warmups, ‘I like these rims. I love these rims.’ Then I hit my first shot, and I thought, ‘It’s going to be a good one.’”

Brown hit consecutive 3s after Ohio State had its aforementioned early lead and finished with 15 points. He had two monster offensive rebounds on one possession in the second half before scoring on a layup. Howard called the play “inspiring,” proof of Brown “wanting that ball more than his opponent.”

Brooks, who hit two early 3s and finished with 17 points, said this of the Wake Forest transfer: “He’s a guy you really want to have on your team.”

Michigan has been among the best in the country defensively, but Ohio State’s potent offense found some cracks. Buckeye guard Duane Washington Jr. not only hit five 3s but got to the rim repeatedly for baskets, finishing with 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting. E.J. Liddell scored 23. Michigan did a decent job defending Ohio State’s secondary options. Howard knew stops would be hard to come by on Sunday.

“Damn right I anticipated a challenge,” he said. “They are a very skillful group and well-coached. I’m not happy with our defensive numbers but I’ll take it with a victory.”

Said Brooks: “Obviously it’s not how we want to play every game, but it’s pretty cool to see talented people score and have that level of competition.”

It all made for a thrilling game between two teams that were No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s in-season bracket, released last week. They are not set to meet again this season, but who knows what the Big Ten Tournament (or beyond) has in store.

“We’ve talked about this leading up to game that this was going to be a really competitive game,” Dickinson said. “They’re No. 4 in the country for a reason and I think we’re No. 3 in the country for a reason too. Obviously this game lived up to the hype.”

Let's block ads! (Why?)