Top Five Plays From Michigan Basketball's Win At Ohio State

Michigan Wolverines basketball (16-1, 10-1 Big Ten), the nation's No. 3 team, took down No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus Sunday afternoon in an instant class.

There were plenty of critical moments that led to the Maize and Blue's triumph. Here are the top five most important sequences that ensured a Michigan win.

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Senior guard Eli Brooks had been struggling shooting the ball in the prior two games, making just three of his last 16 shots entering Sunday's big game. But he turned things around right away — and made three much-needed first-half buckets.

In the Wolverines' first three possessions, they missed two shots and turned it over once, before Brooks got things going from deep and hit the first two of 10 treys before the break. His first three-pointer from the right wing, off an extra pass from the top of the key by senior forward Isaiah Livers, put Michigan on the board after falling behind 4-0. Brooks' second triple, which came from a beautiful cross-court skip pass by freshman center Hunter Dickinson, tied things up at 6-6.

With the game knotted up at 43 a piece and the first-half game clock dwindling down, Brooks cut towards the middle of the lane and was found by sophomore wing Franz Wagner, before he sliced through the Buckeye defense and laid it in at the buzzer to give Michigan a 45-43 lead heading into halftime.

Brooks' shot-making early put Michigan in position for some second-half fireworks.

Senior guard Chaundee Brown was ready to go whenever his number was called, something we've come to expect from Michigan's sixth-man this season.

"I love these rims," he told Livers in warmups.

In the first half, Brown impacted the game by nailing three three-pointers on three looks from deep. In the second half, it was his relentless energy that helped Michigan surge past Ohio State and pull off a win.

Just one minute after entering the game for the first time in the second half, Brown hit a contested three on the baseline after a pump fake to pull Michigan within two points. On the ensuing defensive possession, Brown was out guarding OSU fifth-year senior guard C.J. Walker at the logo, forcing him to make a tough pass that was batted away by Brooks, who was denying OSU junior forward Justin Ahrens. Brown corralled the loose ball, found Wagner in transition and got the ball back to finish for two — tying the game up.

Just like that, Brown made his mark. Head coach Juwan Howard rewarded him by keeping him in the game throughout the Wolverines' stretch run, until he was involved in some offense-defense substitutions.

Brown was just getting started. With the game tied 69-69 and just over six minutes to play, he secured two offensive rebounds (Livers grabbed one), and laid it in to cap off an all-out effort play.

Michigan's energizer makes another massive play, the kind that can put a team in position to win a championship. The Wolverines, who admitted after the game they were "disrespected" by Ohio State's postgame celebrations last season, wanted this game more, and no play evidenced that more than this one.

Brown's play was reminiscent of Jordan Morgan's tip-in against Kentucky in the Elite Eight to tie the game after three offensive rebounds. Caris LeVert got inside and came away with two huge offensive boards to set it up.

Michigan held a 73-69 lead with under five minutes to go, before OSU junior guard Duane Washington, who went off for 30 points, hit a stepback three over Brooks. It appeared that Washington extended his forearm and pushed off, but there was no call, and Brooks actually was given a flop warning after falling down.

That play would certainly have been on this list had Ohio State won. But Michigan had the answer — a beautiful feed from fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith, who dished out five assists on the afternoon, and a thunderous dunk by Dickinson over two defenders after an up-fake.

Michigan was exposed for the better part of the game by OSU's more mobile frontcourt, but the Wolverines' size down low ended up winning out. Dickinson scored 16 second-half points, which were especially crucial since Michigan hit just one triple after halftime, following a first half in which it nailed 10.

OSU redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing made a mistake, and Livers made him pay.

With the Wolverines up 77-74, Sueing had the ball on the left wing, and started driving left before flipping the rock behind his back towards sophomore forward E.J. Liddell. The problem was, Liddell wasn't looking. Livers identified the loose ball, tracked it down and finished through contact for an and-one. He knocked down the free throw to make it a six-point game with 2:38 remaining.

For as much as many are talking about what a great offensive game it was for both teams — and they're not wrong — Michigan simply executed better down the stretch, limited mistakes and won with defense. The Wolverines held the Buckeyes to 4-of-12 shooting and forced three turnovers from the 11:43 mark until there were 23 seconds left, going on a 29-17 run during the most crucial portion of the game.

After Livers' scoop and score, it was a free throw shooting game. And while the Buckeyes made it interesting at the end, Michigan did enough and beat its rival 92-87.

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