Michigan basketball beats Ohio State in back-and-forth thriller

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A classic rivalry. A top-five matchup. Two potential No. 1 seeds next month.

Sunday’s game between No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State came with all of the hype, and it delivered. Michigan won 92-87 in a game that featured hot shooting and equally hot tempers.

Neither team led by more than six points until the final minute. Michigan outscored Ohio State 13-5 over a three-minute stretch late, then converted enough inbound passes and free throws to secure victory.

The Wolverines are 16-1 overall and 11-1 in the Big Ten, matching their best start to the conference season since 1976-77.

Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 22 points -- 16 in the second half -- and nine rebounds. Eli Brooks scored 17 and Chaundee Brown added 15 off the bench.

Last fall’s Michigan-Ohio State football game wasn’t played, but the men’s basketball teams tried to make up for it with physical play and plenty of trash talking.

Even the coaches got involved. Midway through the second half, an Ohio State player requested a stoppage -- and got one -- without calling timeout after apparently getting poked in the eye. Michigan’s Juwan Howard came to midcourt to argue. Chris Holtmann met him there, right on the block ‘O,’ and had some words in response.

The game never came to blows, but it did resemble a heavyweight fight with the teams trading baskets, often 3s.

Michigan started 11-of-14 from 3-point range but missed its last nine long-range attempts. Ohio State finished 11-of-22 from deep. Both teams shot 53 percent from the floor and struggled to get stops. Michigan had just seven turnovers; Ohio State had only nine.

Duane Washington Jr., a Grand Rapids native and Michigander on the Ohio State roster, scored 30 points, making five 3s and driving to the basket at well. Center E.J. Liddell finished with 23.

At one point, Howard had his “talk on defense” photo in hand but couldn’t even show it to his team before Ohio State scored. Michigan deployed a zone defense at times in the first half with little success.

The Wolverines had enough offense to make up for it. Consider this 90-second stretch: Brown grabbed two aggressive offensive rebounds and finished with a layup to break a tie. Dickinson got fouled and crashed to the floor along with three Buckeyes. The next possession, Dickinson took a feed from Smith, gathered himself, and dunked on the entire Buckeye State. Michigan led 75-72 with 4:15 left.

Michigan was still up three when Ohio State’s Justice Sueing threw a behind-the-back pass that his teammate wasn’t expecting. Isaiah Livers (12 points) scooped up the loose ball and raced the other way, converting an and-one as he crashed before crashing into the basket stanchion. Michigan led 80-74 with 2:33 left.

Livers found Brooks under the basket for a scoop layup with 53 seconds left, and Michigan went 8-of-10 from the foul line the rest of the way.

Ohio State (18-5, 12-5) saw its seven-game win streak come to an end.

The Wolverines darn near flew off the court in celebration. Howard lingered to point towards the Michigan family section, which included a couple of Michigan’s walk-ons as well.

Sunday’s matchup had a big-game feel from the start, even with limited fans. There were more family members in attendance than usual. Value City Arena’s big screen played a Michigan-specific pregame hype video.

Ohio State struck first, but Brooks hit two 3s to tie the game early.

Ohio State went ahead 19-14 with 11:18 left in the first half, its largest lead of the game. Brown answered. The Wake Forest transfer and Florida native got right in the spirit of one of the best rivalries in sports. The senior hit a 3, his second since coming off the bench, and had some words for the Ohio State bench. The Buckeye coaches did not appreciate those words. Brown repeated the moment -- 3, trash talk -- two possessions later to give Michigan its first lead, 20-19. This time, officials stopped play for a moment, presumably to issue a warning.

Michigan kept rolling. Mike Smith, as he’s done so often this season, had a pretty drop-off assist to Dickinson for a dunk. The chemistry between those two, both in their first year with the program, can’t be overstated. Smith then crossed over and stepped back into a 3 to make it 34-28 Michigan with 5:02 left in the half. Smith finished with 11 points and seven assists.

The teams continued to trade baskets, with Ohio State taking a three-point lead with 90 seconds before half. But Michigan scored the final five, including Brooks’ drive and scoop to beat the buzzer, to take a 45-43 lead into half.

Michigan hosts No. 11 Iowa on Thursday as part of the Wolverines’ reconfigured end to the regular season.