The Michigan Wolverines went into Columbus today in hopes that they could sweep their arch-rival. Maybe getting two wins over Ohio State out of the 8-10 wins the Wolverines will accumulate in this nightmarish season could put sufficient lipstick on a pig so that we can extract momentarily satisfaction. It was not to be. Michigan was in it at halftime, a sloppy first half of basketball putting the home Buckeyes up only five over the Wolverines. It wasn't going to be easy, but they had a palpable shot.

Instead, Ohio State started the second half on an 10-0 run to get a sizable lead. Michigan slowly chipped its way back and got it to within seven with 10.5 minutes left and then it all crumbled. The offense went cold amid an avalanche of turnovers (a theme all game), while Ohio State's offense churned to a hyper-efficient second half, embarking on a 22-4 run that buried the Wolverines in embarrassment. A 23 point defeat and the seventh loss in a row. Michigan will finish last in the Big Ten in men's basketball for the first time since 1966-67. 

As mentioned, the first half wasn't bad for Michigan in the sense that they were in the game. It was bad for us, the fans, because it was some brutal basketball. The two teams combined to turn it over 16 times in the first half and while they did shoot it well, the flow of the game was exceedingly sloppy. The two teams scored just six points combined in the first four minutes and it took over seven minutes for Michigan to make a second basket, a Dug McDaniel three that trimmed the Ohio State lead to 10-5. Michigan opened the game 1/7 from the floor with four turnovers and found themselves in an early hole. 

[David Wilcomes]

However, the Maize & Blue battled back and at least made the first half competitive. They trailed wire-to-wire, but a push in the later stages of the first half eventually trimmed it to one. That came when McDaniel drove the lane and kicked to Terrance Williams II in the corner, who knocked down a triple. The score sat at 25-24 this point and Michigan had the chance to take the lead after Bruce Thornton missed a jumper and Michigan rebounded it down. However, McDaniel's ensuing drive was swatted by Felix Okpara, leading to a Thornton lay-in at the other end. Ohio State surged temporarily to close the half, but McDaniel snatched an offensive rebound off a George Washington III missed three and converted a layup as the horn sounded. Michigan hadn't played well, but they were alive on the road at the half, down 32-27. 

If you've watched this season, you were probably quite pessimistic at this juncture because Michigan has been disastrous in second halves all season. This game was no different. Ohio State knocked the doors off early in the second half, embarking on the noted quick 10-0 run, taking just three minutes to build a 15 point lead. Of the ten points, two were free throws and the remaining eight were dunks and layups (two of each). Points were coming easy for the Bucks early on, while Michigan's offense spun its tires in the mud. Ohio State had a comfortable lead and were now firmly in control in a way they never had in the first half. 

To Michigan's credit, they didn't totally lay down and die. At least not yet. Michigan answered with a 7-0 spurt of their own, another Williams three and then a few solid plays from Youssef Khayat, who had been inserted into the game after Nimari Burnett picked up his third foul. A moving screen was called on Ohio State that Khayat drew, giving Michigan the ball only down eight some 4+ minutes into the half. They'd taken a bit of a beating but the game wasn't over. From there the two teams were stuck on a bit of a seesaw, back-and-forth as Ohio State threatened to make it a blowout and then Michigan would hit back, oscillating around the ten point margin range. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: More recap]

[David Wilcomes]

With just over half the time left in the game, Will Tschetter pump-faked a defender and then stepped back into a corner triple. The ball found the nylon and Michigan now trailed 53-45, still hanging around and holding the potential to make a late charge for glory. Then they made it a little closer. Ohio State added a free throw but McDaniel found Tarris Reed Jr. inside, who laid the ball up and in. Michigan was down only 54-47 and then they forced a turnover from Ohio State's Dale Bonner. Michigan scooped the rock up, ran the other way, had numbers and then... Williams had the ball poked free from behind by Roddy Gayle Jr., out of bounds off Williams. 

At the time, it was a bit frustrating. Michigan had a golden ticket to cut the lead to five on the fast-break but instead had turned it over. Again, frustrating or annoying. Not cataclysmic. In hindsight, it was the turning point. What followed in the final 9:37 of the game after the Williams turnover was quite possibly the worst 10 minute stretch of basketball Michigan has played all season, in a campaign that's included far too many candidates. Over the next seven minutes, Ohio State outscored Michigan 22-4 as the entire team came unglued. Ohio State bombed shots from all over the court and drove to the paint with ease, while Michigan's offense was as sloppy as ever. They turned it over at will, missed free throws, and bricked shots. The defining segment of this Ohio State run was the following: OSU's Jamison Battle knocks down an open three, Dug McDaniel tosses up an ugly three that doesn't even hit the rim, OSU's Evan Mahaffey drives for an uncontested layup. That made the score 67-51 and your author began writing at that point. It was over. 

The rest of the game was just going through the motions. Ohio State kept pouring it on until their lead was firmly into the 20s and then both teams inserted their backups. Eventually the run after the 54-47 score stretched to 30-10 in favor of the Bucks, before walk-ons Harrison Hochberg and Cooper Smith tacked on four late points for Michigan. Final score: 84-61 OSU. The Buckeyes shot 56.3% for the game and 41.7% from three, but the second half margin is even worse: 15/21 from the floor and 4/6 from three + 18/23 at the line. And all those clips are worse than they were for much of the half (the KenPom time cooled them off some at the end).

[David Wilcomes]

Ohio State scored 52 in the second half while Michigan turned it over nine more times on offense, for a game total of 18. McDaniel led the way with 19 points but was an incredibly inefficient 7/21 (1/6 from three). Williams chipped in 13 but there was little else good besides Khayat's brief moment in the early second half. Reed turned it over five times, getting terrorized in the post by the defensive hand of Zed Key (he was also 1/8 from the floor), and Williams also turned it over five times. Burnett fouled out with only seven points in 21 minutes. This is another ugly box score. 

Michigan is now 8-22 overall and 3-16 in B1G play, with one game left to play. They have clinched last place in the B1G for the first time since the Lyndon Johnson presidency and will finish in last by at least three games. In the past week they have been dominated on the road by two teams who have combined to go 15-21 in conference play this season. If Michigan does not win its final two games (regular season + BTT) they will finish with single digit wins for the first time in over 40 years. Juwan Howard has cobbled together a squad to rival the Ellerbe era and Beilein's first season. This year comes to its merciful conclusion in the regular season one week from today, at home against Nebraska. That game is scheduled for noon EST and will be broadcast on BTN.