COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the highest ranked matchup between two longtime rivals, No. 3 Michigan (16-1, 11-1) outlasted No. 4 Ohio State (18-5, 12-5) 92-87 Sunday in Value City Arena. The loss snapped the Buckeyes’ seven-game win streak. Michigan had not won in Columbus in the last five meetings, spanning seven seasons.

Duane Washington Jr. led all scorers in the game with career-high 30 points, while fellow Buckeye E.J. Liddell had his third career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Hunter Dickinson fronted five Wolverines in double figures with 22 points.

Both teams shot at a 53-percent clip from the floor. Each shot well from distance as well as Ohio State went 11-of-22 from 3 and Michigan was 11-23 after going 10-13 in the first half.

A back-and-forth first half continued well into the second 20 minutes. A baseline drive and teardrop bucket from Washington gave the Buckeyes a three-point edge at 62-59 near the midway point of the second period.

Michigan converted an Ohio State midcourt turnover into a transition bucket that started a 6-0 run to put the Wolverines back ahead 67-65 as the teams headed to the under 8:00 media break.

With less than five minutes to play, Washington sliced into the Michigan lead with a 3-point FG. The game headed to the 4:00 timeout with the Wolverines holding a 75-72 advantage.

Another miscue proved costly for the Buckeyes as their ninth turnover of the game lead to Michigan equaling its biggest lead of the day 80-74 after a converted and-1 transition basket by Isaiah Livers. The Wolverines pushed out to 87-79 in the waning moments. Another 3 from Washington brought the Buckeyes back to 90-87, but Michigan was true at the free throw line and held on for the win.

The Buckeyes are back in action at 9 p.m. Thursday at Michigan State.

POSTGAME ZOOM PRESS CONFERENCE

PRE-GAME NOTES

GAME BASICS

·       No. 4 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan meet at 1 p.m. Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus. This is the only regular-season meeting this season.       

·       Ohio State is 12-4 in the Big Ten after winning at Penn State last Thursday (92-82).

·       Chris Holtmann’s teams are 3-3 vs. Michigan. The Buckeyes own the all-time lead in the series, 99-78. Ohio State is 57-27 in Columbus and 14-2 at Value City Arena in game vs. the Wolverines.  

·       When ranked among the Top 25 in the Associated Press poll, Ohio State is 36-10 vs. Michigan. The Wolverines are 28-16 when ranked in games vs. the Buckeyes. Six Buckeyes entered the 2020-21 season with experience against the Wolverines, though none with more than three games. Junior Duane Washington Jr. leads Ohio State in the series with 14.0 points per game.

·       The Buckeyes and Wolverines combined ranking total of seven is the lowest in the series when both teams are ranked at the time of the game. The teams have both been ranked in 15 games all-time. The Buckeyes lead 8-7 in those games.

For more on the Buckeyes please go to: https://go.osu.edu/umatvca22121

GAME RECAP COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS