The Buckeyes earned a key win that keeps them in the hunt for a Big Ten regular season championship.
Ohio State star forward EJ. Liddell dropped 28 points on Saturday evening in Ann Arbor as the Buckeyes held off a late push from their archrivals.
Michigan hoped it would carry over momentum from a massive win over No. 3 Purdue on Thursday, but Chris Holtmann's team suffocated the Wolverines in the second half and closed out a 68-57 win.
Liddell was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line and finished the game 8-of-17 from the field.
Liddell led the way for Ohio State, but Cedric Russell's 12 points off the bench were also critical in the win. It marked Russell's highest scoring output and most minutes played in his Buckeye career. Considering the team was without Meechie Johnson (injury), Russell's emergence on Saturday gave Ohio State a huge lift.
Michigan really struggled to get any rhythm going outside the paint. 15 of their 24 total made baskets were either dunks or layups and the Maize and Blue only connected on 4-of-17 three pointers.
The win is especially critical for a Buckeyes team that had lost two of its previous three games, including a gut-wrenching 66-64 game at Rutgers earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Michigan is in serious jeopardy of needing to win the Big Ten Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines, who many thought had a great chance to win the league this year, have had an awfully disappointing season following last year's Elite Eight run.
The Buckeyes are back in action on Tuesday night at home against Minnesota. The game tips off at 8:30 and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
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