Senior Day Spoiled: Ohio State Drops Season Finale To Rival Michigan, 75-69

The Buckeyes limp into next week's Big Ten Tournament as the six seed.

Author:
Spencer German
Mar 6, 2022 4:52 PM EST

There's not much a win over your biggest rival can't fix. And after a forgettable stretch of games that saw Ohio State lose two straight for the first time all season, and a week that was filled with outside criticism for head coach Chris Holtmann, there was no better time for rival Michigan to come to Columbus.

Too bad the desperate Wolverines marched into the Schottenstein Center and spoiled senior day to the tune of a 75-69 loss for the scarlet and gray – their third in four games to conclude the regular season.

Per usual, E.J. Liddell was a force for the Buckeyes, recording his eighth double-double of the season. Freshman Malaki Branham poured in a team-high 18 points of his own and even Justin Ahrens found his rhythm as he knocked down four threes to finish with 12 points. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Buckeyes' effort, particularly on defense, was M.I.A.

"[Defense] is "want to," there are physical dimensions but it's definitely "want to," Holtmann explained of his team's effort. "Clearly, we didn't have enough "want to" on that end today. I thought that and our turnovers got us beat. That's on me."

In what seems to have become a common theme for Holtmann's group this year, this game can best be summed up as a tale of two halves. Early on momentum very much favored the Buckeyes who shot just a shade under 40-percent from the floor in the first half, including 50-percent from three. They also dominated the paint in the opening stanza by outscoring the Wolverines by 10 in that area and holding a slight edge in boards.

All that culminated in a 37-30 lead for the Bucks at the break, but momentum is a fickle thing.

The Buckeyes came out looking flat in the second half, setting the tone for what may just be the worst half of basketball the group has played this season.

Five minutes in, that seven-point lead was down to two. Six minutes after that, that team up north used a 16-5 run to go up 12. They coasted from there.

The Buckeyes were outscored 22-6 in the paint in the second half. They coughed up the ball six times to Michigan's two. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong and when the dust settled, four Wolverines had scored in double figures, while OSU was left once again needing more from the supporting cast around Liddell and Branham.

"We need rest, we need to get healthy, but we need to play better," Holtmann asserted. "We need to play better. We need to defend better as a group ... We'll move forward here to whenever we'll play next."

The Big Ten Tournament awaits this vulnerable Buckeyes team, who are slated as the six seed. They're scheduled to play Thursday against the winner of the 11th seeded Penn State and a to be determined 14 seed.

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