Just as it has so many times this season, Michigan’s defense once again put on an absolute clinic in the club’s 65-49 thrashing of the Ohio State Buckeyes last night.
U-M held OSU to just 36.5 percent from the floor, and 23.8 percent from behind the three-point line.
What was perhaps most incredible, though, was the way U-M consistently forced turnovers. The Wolverines recorded 19 takeaways in all, and scored 20 points off of them.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann was thoroughly impressed with the Maize and Blue's defensive effort after the game.
“Michigan was so active and aggressive with their hands,” he exclaimed. “They were also physical, and their length and activity were the reasons behind a lot of our missed shots and turnovers.”
The catalyst to Michigan’s defense all season long has, of course, been junior point guard Zavier Simpson, and that was no different on Tuesday night.
The story surrounding the Lima, Ohio, native yesterday was actually about his offensive play, which resulted in just the sixth triple-double in Michigan basketball history (103 years), with 11 points, 10 boards and 12 assists.
“He’s just a tremendous player, and deserves a lot of credit for how he impacts winning,” Holtmann noted afterward. “He’s outstanding defensively and a terrific communicator.
“Simpson doesn’t turn the ball over and makes great decisions with it, and consistently finds his guys.
“They’re content with letting him dominate the ball, and it’s a credit to him and the guys he has around him.”
One of the key moments in the game came with just 8:05 remaining when Michigan held a 50-38 lead.
Ohio State sophomore center Kaleb Wesson fouled U-M junior center Jon Teske while going for a rebound, and immediately had a verbal exchange with Simpson.
As Wesson approached Simpson, Michigan sophomore guard Jordan Poole put his hand on Wesson’s arm, and that’s when things got heated.
Wesson and Poole then began yelling at each other while Teske gave the former a slight shove, just as OSU senior point guard C.J. Jackson and U-M freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis stepped in to try and break it up.
The referees and coaches then intervened and forced everyone back to their respective benches, with Teske, Wesson and Simpson earning technical fouls as the end result.
“I thought we could have handled it better,” Holtmann admitted. “It was an accumulation of frustrations for a variety of reasons.
“It had been very physical for the bulk of the game, and things tend to happen when that’s the case.
“The last play of the half was significant in that regard because one of our guys got plowed, but when that’s the case, that’s how you have to play. If that’s how the game is going to be called, then we have to increase our physicality.”
The Wolverines consistently led by nine to 15 points early in the second half, but couldn’t seem to get over the hump.
That changed when they stretched it to 12 right before the aforementioned scuffle, and eventually to 20 following a dunk by sophomore forward Isaiah Livers as the game was winding down.
The Buckeyes ended the contest on a 4-0 run, however, and Holtmann was pleased with how his team responded after the skirmish.
“We needed to respond better to make sure we finished the game and represented ourselves the right way, and I thought we did that,” he said.
Michigan, however, saved its best for last as well, outscoring the Buckeyes 33-23 after the break.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
