Things got a little dicey for the No.1 ranked Buckeyes in the second half. Ohio State led for most of the game, but could not quite shake the pesky Wolverines, letting the lead dwindle all the way to 47-45. It was at this point though that the No.1 Buckeyes flexed their muscle on their bitter rivals, going on a 16-0 run that very nearly took Michigan out of the game entirely.
Michigan made one final push going from ten points down with a minute to go to within four points, it would be too little too late though, as the Buckeyes managed to get a key stop in the final 30 seconds, to put the Wolverines away for good, 68-61.
Jared Sullinger had his 16th double-double in the winning effort, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 boards. Sullinger over powered nearly every double and triple team that Michigan threw at him down low, and once again seemed like the one Buckeye weapon other teams do not have an answer for.
Also playing well for OSU were seniors William Buford and Jon Diebler, who pulled down 16 points each.
For Michigan it was a very hard fought effort that just didn't seem to have enough at the end, despite the best efforts of Darius Morris, 16 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr., 15 points. It was a disappointing loss for the Wolverines to be sure, but UM fans should head home from Indianapolis confident in their chances of making the NCAA tournament, something that was nearly out of the question at the beginning of this season.