What Michigan Basketball Proved in its Big Ten Tournament Win Over Ohio State

The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines survived a scare from the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday afternoon in the 1 vs. 8 seed game.

In college basketball, it's never easy to defeat a team three times, let alone a rival. The Buckeyes gave it their best shot out of the three tries on Friday, but it still wasn't enough to overcome the firepower of the Maize and Blue.

Here are a couple of things Michigan proved in the victory as Dusty May's team is onto the semifinals on Saturday.

Wolverines can survive an off game from its best player

Coming off a 27-point performance against Michigan State that solidified the Big Ten Player of the Year award, Michigan star forward Yaxel Lendeborg didn't have nearly the impact in this one in the scoring department.

Lendeborg took just four shots and scored six points in the victory, with the Buckeyes, as May said in the postgame press conference, designed their defense to take some of his looks away.

With that being said, Lendeborg stayed within the offense, didn't force any bad shots and still let the game come to him. He also had six assists to just two turnovers and recorded five rebounds to make sure he contributed in other ways outside of the scoring department.

While May admitted it wasn't one of Lendeborg's best games, he thought he played a good floor game overall while bringing attention to allow other players to score.

Yaxel Lendeborg defends — Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) drives to the basket against Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"He had six assists. I thought he played a good floor game. He just didn't seem like he had a great
rhythm for whatever reason," May said. "The thing with Yax, if he's on the court, he's giving you leverage and attention on him so you can play some 4-on-4 away from him."

May said he thought it was impressive that Lendeborg, even on an off day for him, didn't try to force his own offense, as some star players would.

"I thought overall it wasn't one of his better performances. He'll bounce back," said May. "We know what (he's) capable of. Most guys who receive those types of awards, they're going to keep firing and try to shoot their way out of a funk or whatever the case. Yax just plays the game, and he wants
to win."

May said he fully expects Lendeborg to respond in a positive way on Saturday and commended his team for finding a way to win despite it.

"That's one thing about Yax. He's a competitor. He can get down on himself, but he always responds," May added. "For him to have -- the Big Ten Player of the Year -- to have an off night still be able to beat a quality opponent like Ohio State, is once again a testament to how good of a team we are."

Michigan has won games this season without Lendeborg having a huge scoring night, but in a win-or-go-home situation, this could be a good experience for the Wolverines as we approach the NCAA Tournament.

Elliot Cadeau is more than capable of running the offense in big games

As Lendeborg was slowed, it was really Cadeau and Mara working the pick and roll game to a high degree of efficiency, with Mara scoring 17 points and getting many of those from being set up by the Michigan point guard.

Cadeau scored 15 himself and dished out seven assists. While he shot just 3-of-9 from the field, he was aggressive in looking for his shot and getting into the teeth of the OSU defense to make plays at a high level.

While he scored just two points against the Spartans in the Wolverines' prior outing, Cadeau said he felt like he had the same aggressive mindset as he always does in the win over OSU.

"My mindset was the same mindset as usual," said Cadeau. My goal before every game is to get a double -double with assists. Just trying to get my teammates involved. I felt like I played good last game (against MSU). I felt like I had a lot of good assists and I controlled the game last game. I felt it was pretty much even the way I played (between the two games). I was just more aggressive with my shot this game."

Elliot Cadeau drives — Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) defends Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Cadeau added he feels like the team has a lot of players who can step up at any given time, including freshman guard Trey McKenney, who scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

"we feel like we have a lot of guys that are really, really good. If it's not Yaxel's night, somebody else will step up," said Cadeau. You see Trey McKenney step up, have a really good game, make a lot of shots. When he's having a good night, we're the best team in the country. When he's not having a good night, I feel like we're still the best team in the country."