Men's Basketball
Buckeyes Beat Michigan, This Time 72-62 in Big Ten Tourney
By John Porentas

Michigan basketball fans are starting to feel a little like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.

The location wasn't Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania this time, it was Chicago. The main character wasn't Phil who had to relive a bad day over and over, it was Tommy Amaker and his Michigan Wolverines (21-12). Just like in the movie, the Wolverines woke up, went about their business (of trying to beat the Buckeyes (28-3)), and just like the first two times this season, when the game ended, the Buckeyes had more points on the scoreboard. Just like in the movie, nothing much changed in the end, no matter what the characters did.

Like Murray's character, the Wolverines tried to change things, but when all was said and done, the result was always the same. This time around the Wolverines tried to defend the Buckeyes by not double-teaming Greg Oden. The result of that strategy was as predictable as the movie plot. Oden scored a game-high 22 points and in the process fouled out Michigan center Courtney Sims who just couldn't cope with Oden defensively. At the other end of the floor, Oden dominated Sims, limiting him to seven points and in general getting into his head.

Greg Oden scores two of his game-high 22 points
Photo by Steve Hellwagon, Bucknuts.com

"We were just taking what they gave us," said Oden. "They weren't doubling, so I had to go to work."

Oden's work-day included eight-of-12 shooting from the field, six-of-10 shooting from the free throw line, four blocked shots and a team-high eight rebounds.

"I really have no clue," said OSU guard Mike Conley when asked to explain the wisdom of defending Oden with just one defender. "Greg just took the ball and drove it to them."

Sims did break the Groundhog Day pattern in one way, however. After having a couple of shots blocked by Oden, Sims started turning down shots, thus eliminating the possibility of a repeat block.(Take that, Phil!). That also eliminated the possibility of a score, but at least he didn't have to watch the ball come back at him time after time.

The Wolverine effort may have been futile, but it wasn't totally ineffective, particularly on the glass where they really did dominate the Buckeyes. Winning on the boards didn't matter, however, because the Groundhog Day effect was still in place. OSU led at the break 34-29 despite being outrebounded 21-8 in the first half including a 10-1 Wolverine margin on the offensive glass. On the other side of the ledger, the Wolverines turned the ball over nine times, the Buckeyes just twice, and OSU shot 54.2 per cent from the field as opposed to 41.7 for the Wolverines. OSU Head Coach Thad Matta noticed all that, and addressed it with his team at the intermission.

"Honestly the talk at halftime was rebounding and defense, rebounding and defense. I didn't say a whole lot about offense. We were shooting 54 percent and had two turnovers," said Matta.

"Michigan did a tremendous job to be up on us 21-8 on the boards.".

For a brief moment it looked like the Wolverines might actually break the pattern in the second half. That's when OSU Head Coach Thad Matta did something totally out of his own personal pattern. Matta lost his cool and drew a technical protesting a call, or rather a non-call, with the officials. The call came with the Wolverines trailing by just six at 50-44. The Wolverines were awarded two free throws followed by possession of the ball and could have pulled to within two. What they ended up with was converting two free throws and getting stopped at the offensive end. The call seemed to fire up the Buckeyes.

"When the coach gets fired up we get fired up as well," said Ron Lewis.

"I think it got us going. I've never seen coach like that before. When he got that technical it flipped a switch on us," added Jamar Butler.

The Wolverines did close to within three at 52-49, but Oden scored the next five points in the game to re-extend the lead to eight at 57-49. From then on it, it was pretty obvious how it would end, just like Groundhog Day. The good news for the Wolverines is that their nightmare is over. To relive it, they would have to do it in the NCAA tournament, a place where they aren't likely to be when the field is set.

Lucky them.

Box Score

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