The last time that Michigan basketball faced Ohio State, it was Trey Burke appreciation night, and the team honored the former point guard by lifting his jersey to the rafters. The Wolverines won, but it was a struggle, and it took the entire game to put it away.
Sunday’s game in Columbus was not that.
The maize and blue didn’t just lead wire-to-wire, but they took a relatively commanding lead and maintained it. Whenever the Buckeyes got within what looked to be potential striking distance (that is, cutting it to single digits), Michigan would just pull away again.
The Wolverines, therefore, ended up sweeping their rival to the south, winning 82-61.
Here are our five takeaways:
Aday Mara was unstoppable
The Michigan center showcased a little bit of everything en route to a career day. Mara finished with 24 points and six rebounds, and was stellar on the defensive side of the court. What’s more, he even hit two of three 3-point attempts.
The Wolverines’ length bothered OSU in general, with Morez Johnson Jr. getting into double-double territory with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He was quieter in the second half, which allowed Mara to further dominate the second half, but all-in-all, it was as impressive a frontcourt performance as could be.
McKenney continues to shine
As noted on the broadcast, it was McKenney’s sixth straight game with double-digit scoring. He didn’t just provide a spark off the bench; he made some dagger shots, especially when Ohio State was threatening to cut into the Wolverines’ lead. He was 4-for-6 from the floor, including two 3s.
Rebounding was the clear difference
This wasn’t the typical Michigan offense out on the floor. The Wolverines only shot 45.8% from the field, and though Ohio State was worse (36.4%), it was the huge advantage at getting the ball back that kept Michigan in control of the game.
The maize and blue finished with 44 rebounds compared to Ohio State’s 31, and 17 of those rebounds were on the offensive side of the court. As a result, Michigan had 14 second-chance points, nearly the margin of the win.
Also of note, with the defensive rebounding, the Wolverines had 10 fast break points compared to Ohio State’s zero.
Putting the past behind them
At home last week, Michigan avenged a close win over Penn State in Happy Valley by blowing out the Nittany Lions by 40 points. This wasn’t quite that — but given how tight the game was against OSU in Ann Arbor, to go into Columbus and win by 21 is a feat.
Last matchup against Ohio State, John Mobley Jr. was a problem, but he was essentially neutralized with just four points on Sunday. Likewise, though he had 10 points on Sunday, Christoph Tilly wasn’t nearly as much of a headache as he was in the first meeting.
What’s next?
Michigan has a couple of more manageable games on the docket with a road trip to Northwestern on Wednesday before coming home to host UCLA on Saturday afternoon. After that, the schedule gets much, much tougher.
The Wolverines go to Purdue a week from Tuesday, then face Duke in Washington D.C. that upcoming Saturday. Then, road trips to Illinois and Iowa before coming home to face MSU.
To get wins like these, especially after relatively close contests against the same opponent, builds the confidence needed for the maize and blue to withstand what will be a brutal stretch.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan basketball sweeps Ohio State; Aday Mara leads dominant win
