In the weeks leading up to his team’s opener in the NCAA Tournament, Michigan coach John Beilein made news by refusing to call Ohio State by its full name, and instead referred to the Buckeyes as simply “Ohio.”
But with Ohio in front of Michigan, chants of, “We are Ohio” echoed throughout Bridgestone Arena as the game clock hit zero Friday night.
If Beilein did not know about Ohio two months ago, he does now.
The 13th-seeded Bobcats upset fourth-seeded Michigan 65-60 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Nashville.
Ohio built a 13-point lead with 2:49 remaining in the first half and took a six-point lead into the break. Michigan (24-10) pulled within three points in the second half, but would get no closer.
“(Ohio coach John) Groce does a good job of keeping us prepared for what lies ahead,” Ohio guard Walter Offutt said. “We knew it was going to be a tough battle all game. Good teams stick together as a unit. That’s what we did, and we came out with the win.”
Ohio (28-7) came into the game ranked 13th in the country in defending 3-pointers and continued to find success against a Wolverine team that relies heavily on the outside shot.
Groce said he knew the ability to shut down the 3-point shot would be critical for the Bobcats. Ohio held Michigan to just 7-for-23 from behind the arc.
“They’re so good on offense that if you give them a steady diet of anything, they’ll pick you apart,” Groce said. “I’m just thankful our guys bought into the game plan.”
Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper led all scorers with 21 points while adding five assists. Offutt, Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely also finished in double figures for the Bobcats.
Ohio and Michigan each finished with 24 points in the paint, and Beilein said Ohio’s success in the post was spurred by Cooper.
“We thought we could handle them one-on-one (in the paint),” Beilein said. “They played very well inside. Cooper makes a lot of that go. He’s as good of a guard as we’ve played against this year.”
Ohio shot 51 percent from the field while holding the Wolverines to 41 percent.
Michigan’s last lead came with 9:35 remaining in the first half.
Wolverine point guard Trey Burke drained a 3-pointer to cut Ohio’s lead to 63-60 with just more than four minutes to play, but it would be the Wolverines’ last point.
Both teams traded missed baskets until Michigan had the ball with 17 seconds to play.
With less than 10 seconds remaining, T.J. Hall stripped Michigan’s Evan Smotrycz, and Offutt recovered the ball and was immediately fouled. Two free throws iced the win for Ohio.
“We were trying to limit the 3-point shot,” Offutt said. “We did a good job taking away the 3. (Hall) tipped it and I was fortunate to come up with the steal.”
With the win, Cooper, Baltic, Keely and David McKinley became the only players in Ohio history to win games in multiple NCAA Tournaments.
The win also marked the first time the Bobcats have beaten the Wolverines in four tries.
“It’s exciting to be able to advance,” Cooper said. “But we have a different mindset this year. We’re taking it one game at a time, knowing we can compete with any team in this tournament.”
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