Wolverine Digest

Takeaways From Michigan’s Rivalry Win Over Ohio State

Three takeaways from the dominating victory.
Justice Steiner|
Feb 8, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) drives to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes center Ivan Njegovan (7) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Feb 8, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) drives to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes center Ivan Njegovan (7) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

On Super Bowl Sunday, the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team took down Ohio State 82-61 in Columbus, Ohio. With the win, it marks the eighth straight for the Wolverines as they remain undefeated on the road (7-0)

It also marks a season sweep over the Buckeyes as UofM defeated OSU 74-62 at home back in January.

What Can’t Aday Mara Do?

Standing at 7’3”, Mara obviously makes a difference blocking shots and rebounding, but his impact on the game goes far beyond that.

For starters, he knocked down two three-pointers in the first half, his first of the season. He is also a really good passer for his size. Whether it is full-court outlet passes or passing out of a double team, his pose and vision are valuable. Even if he doesn’t always finish with a lot of assists, he is always finding open teammates, which makes it hard for other teams to guard him.

He finished the game with a career-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Don’t Play Zone Against the Maize and Blue

At points in the early stages of the first half, OSU tried to play a 2-3 zone against the Wolverines. It did not go well when they did. Michigan’s unselfishness makes it difficult to run a zone.

The way that UofM moves the ball, especially when Mara can pass from the center position, makes it extremely difficult not to play man-to-man defense. OSU saw that pretty quickly and got out of the zone fast, not going to it for the rest of the contest. 

In that first 20 minutes, UofM had 11 assists on 16 field goals. The Wolverines finished the game with 20 assists on 33 field goals.

This is important to note because in the future, if Michigan does play a team that plays a lot of zone defense, it could benefit the Wolverines.

Morez Johnson Jr. blocks a shot
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) shoots around Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Feb. 8, 2026. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Too Much Size… Again

Nothing new, everyone has talked about the size of the Michigan starting five with Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg all in the starting five. But the impact it had was on full display in the first half.

In the opening half, Michigan grabbed an impressive 12 offensive rebounds and 25 overall, while the Buckeyes only had six offensive boards and 19 overall.

In total, Michigan out-rebounded OSU 44-31 and grabbed 17 offensive boards in the game. The Wolverines also finished with 42 points in the paint as opposed to 20 for the Buckeyes.

The three-headed monster of Mara, Johnson Jr. and Lendeborg registered a combined 49 points and 32 rebounds in the game.

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Justice Steiner
JUSTICE STEINER

A Battle Creek, Mich. native, Justice Steiner has been passionately involved in sports, currently as the sports information director at Davenport University, an NCAA Division II program, where he covers 12 sports. He also serves as the creative services director for the men's and women's baseball teams. Prior to DU, Steiner worked as a graduate assistant in the sports information office at the University of Louisville, working closely with the women's soccer, women's basketball, men's tennis and softball programs. While at Grand Valley State University, Steiner began his writing career at the Grand Valley Lanthorn. He graduated from GVSU with a degree in advertising and public relations.

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