How No. 2 Michigan Basketball Overpowered Ohio State on Sunday

Michigan controlled the glass and limited Ohio State’s offense to hand the Buckeyes their second loss to the Wolverines this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) and guard Bruce Thornton (2) react in the final seconds of the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Feb. 8, 2026. Ohio State lost 82-61. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 2 Michigan dominated Ohio State 82–61 in the teams’ second meeting of the season. The Buckeyes never led, but they stayed within arm’s reach in the first half.

Christoph Tilly scored Ohio State’s first eight points with an inside bucket and back-to-back three-pointers.

He was the only Buckeye to score in the first six minutes until Taison Chatman checked in and beat the shot-clock buzzer with a three. Chatman once again provided a spark off the bench, finishing with eight points.

A rebounding gap set the tone early

The biggest gap in the game came on the glass, a point captain Bruce Thornton repeatedly referenced postgame. Ohio State failed to box out consistently and allowed Michigan to grab 12 offensive rebounds in the first half alone.

Head coach Jake Diebler said the rebounding issues were not due to effort, but physicality. While Ohio State did crash the boards, Diebler said his team failed to make meaningful contact when shots went up.

Michigan’s defensive pressure disrupted Ohio State’s offense

Ohio State trailed 44–34 at halftime. Michigan not only controlled the rebounding battle, but also held Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr. to just two points each in the first half.

Royal responded offensively after halftime and finished with 15 points, but Mobley was limited to four points total. He shot 1-for-9 from the field, only took three shots from beyond the arc, and struggled to find clean looks.

“They limited his catches at times and made him really work to get the ball,” Diebler said of Mobley. “I think they forced him into the paint even when he didn’t have it, made him cut and move, and when he did have it they crowded him inside. He had some decent size on him at times, especially around the rim.”

Diebler said this issue wasn’t exclusive to Mobley and stated that his team needed to read the game better below the logo in the paint collectively.

Thornton was the only Buckeye in double figures until the 6:57 mark of the second half when Tilly knocked down two free throws. Thornton finished with a team-high 16 points, and Tilly added 10.

Michigan’s edge showed down the stretch

While a few moments felt like flukes—such as Michigan’s 7'3" Aday Mara hitting his first two three-pointers of the season—the result was largely an earned victory for the Wolverines. Michigan head coach Dusty May said the matchup favored his team due to their size.

As “Let’s Go Blue” chants erupted throughout the arena and Buckeye fans began filing out late in the second half, the deficit became too large for Ohio State to overcome.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who finished with 14 points, expressed confidence postgame. “They’re a good team, but they don’t belong in the same conversation as us,” he said.

Thornton pushed back on the idea of a talent gap, instead pointing to execution. “I just worry about the guys in my locker room,” Thornton said. “I would never compare myself to any other team.”

Ohio State will look to bounce back at home when they host USC on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m.