E.J. Liddell scored 28 points as No. 16 Ohio State defeated host Michigan 68-57 in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday.
Cedric Russell added 12 points for the Buckeyes (15-6, 8-4 Big Ten), who had lost two of three.
Eli Brooks scored 17 points and Hunter Dickinson 14 for the Wolverines (13-10, 7-6).
Michigan played for the third time since Tuesday, winning at Penn State and upsetting No. 3 Purdue on Thursday.
Tired legs may have been a factor for Michigan, which hit 4 of 17 (23.5 percent) 3-pointers.
The Buckeyes wanted to erase memories of their most recent game when they missed their final seven shots and Rutgers peeled off 10 unanswered points for a 66-64 victory Wednesday.
Ohio State increased a three-point halftime advantage to 46-36 on a Russell 3-pointer. He scored three points in the previous two games combined.
Michigan pulled to within 57-52 but two free throws by Kyle Young and a basket by Malaki Branham made it 61-52 with 2:03 remaining to seal the win.
The Buckeyes led 33-30 at the half. The first 20 minutes featured nine lead changes and four ties that totaled of 3:57 playing time.
Liddell scored the last of his 11 points for a 29-28 lead with 1:42 left but he wasn’t finished contributing to the Buckeyes’ cause. At the other end of the court, he swatted a drive by DeVante’ Jones that resulted in a break that was completed with a baseline layup by Russell to make it 31-28.
After a bucket by Michigan’s Caleb Houstan made it 31-30, Joey Brunk deposited a short jumper with 27 seconds left for the halftime margin.
The Buckeyes shot 50 percent (14 of 28) from the floor in the first half while the Wolverines were slightly less proficient at 48.3 percent (14 of 29).
Michigan’s largest lead of the game was 8-4.
Ohio State hosts Minnesota on Tuesday. The Buckeyes are 10-0 at home. Michigan plays at Iowa on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
