A game-high 20 points and 15 rebounds by senior forward Jae’Sean Tate wasn’t enough for the No. 8 Buckeyes (22-7, 13-3) as they fell 74-62 at No. 22 Michigan 22-7, 11-5) Sunday afternoon.
The Wolverines were led by balanced scoring with four double-digit scorers. Guard Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman led Michigan with 17 points, and added three blocks for good measure.
The Buckeyes struggled to protect the basketball the entire game, turning it over 14 times and collecting just eight assists.
Keita Bates-Diop added 17 points for OSU, but did it on 5-of-17 shooting. He did chip in seven rebounds, two blocks, and four steals.
The difference in the game — other than Ohio State’s turnovers, was Michigan freshman guard Jordan Poole, who scored 15 points after averaging 5 points per game coming into the day. He had scored a total of 15 points in his previous four games.
The Buckeyes got a combined three points, zero assists, and four turnovers from point guards C.J. Jackson and Andrew Dakich.
Ohio State had four turnovers in the first three minutes of the game, but their defense was able to stifle the Wolverine offense for much of the afternoon. Eventually, OSU’s lack of offense allowed Michigan to build an eight-point lead at 26-18, and then again at 33-28. A three-pointer from Keita Bates-Diop with six seconds remaining in the first half made it 33-28 at intermission.
A free throw and layup by Mo Wagner on Michigan’s first two possessions of the second half took the Wolverine lead right back up to eight points.
The Buckeyes trailed by 2-6 points for most of the first 10 minutes of the half. A jumper by Abdur-Rahkman made it nine points, but that was quickly answered by a Tate layup. A three by Bates-Diop one minute later made it a four-point game at 55-51. A Tate free throw another minute later cut it to 55-52, but that was then answered by a layup from Zavier Simpson and a three-pointer by Poole.
Michigan stretched the lead to nine points 30 seconds later and the game never got any closer than that. The Wolverines led by as much as 15 in the final minutes.
Up next for the Buckeyes is a home game Tuesday night against Rutgers. It will mark Senior Night for Ohio State’s seniors and graduates.
