Michigan
30-2,19-1Big Ten
Ohio State
21-12,12-8Big Ten
Top-Seeded Wolverines Hold Off Ohio State in Big Ten Quarterfinal
3/13/2026 3:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The third-ranked and top-seeded University of Michigan men's basketball team defeated eighth-seeded Ohio State, 71-67, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday afternoon (March 13) at the United Center.
Michigan led throughout the first half, but Ohio State erased the deficit in the second half and briefly took the lead for 54 seconds of game time. The Wolverines responded late, forcing Ohio State to miss eight of its final nine field-goal attempts over the closing minutes.
Leaders and Best
Aday Mara led Michigan with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks. Elliot Cadeau added 15 points, including eight free throws, and dished out seven assists. Trey McKenney contributed 12 points off the bench with two three-pointers and four rebounds. Morez Johnson Jr. rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Turning Point
Trailing by two, Cadeau knocked down a pair of free throws with 4:46 remaining to tie the game. On the ensuing possession, Mara blocked an Ohio State attempt after the Buckeyes grabbed an offensive rebound, giving the Wolverines the ball back.
Johnson then converted a driving layup in transition to give Michigan a two-point lead heading into the under-four media timeout. The basket snapped a Michigan scoring drought and sparked a stretch where Ohio State missed seven consecutive field goals.
Second Half
Ohio State (21-12, 12-8 B1G) opened the half with four straight field goals to tie the game at 44 with 17:22 remaining. Neither team scored for the next four minutes, combining for seven missed shots before Cadeau ended the drought with a drive to the rim at the 14:34 mark. He followed a minute later by tossing an alley-oop to Mara for a layup through contact.
Michigan pushed its advantage back to three possessions during a quick 7-0 run midway through the half, but Ohio State answered with eight points in three possessions to trim the deficit to three at the under-12 media timeout.
The Buckeyes took their first lead of the game on a three-pointer with 5:40 remaining, capitalizing on a six-minute Michigan field goal drought. Johnson ended the skid moments later when a driving attempt was ruled a goaltending violation, putting Michigan back in front.
Ohio State remained within striking distance late and pulled within two points after a basket with six seconds remaining, but Lendeborg sealed the win at the free-throw line, knocking down two free throws for the final margin.
First Half
Michigan controlled the opening tip and struck first when Johnson scored on a layup. He added a turnaround jumper moments later, and Nimari Burnett followed with a three-pointer from the left wing to give the Wolverines a 7-0 lead just 80 seconds into the game.
Michigan extended the advantage to 10-5 before the first media timeout after another Johnson layup. After the break, Lendeborg forced a steal that led to a McKenney three-pointer. McKenney later added another triple from the top of the key and a one-handed jumper in the paint to help maintain the lead.
Burnett ended a brief scoring drought with a dunk before Cadeau connected from deep to push the lead to double digits with 8:36 remaining in the half. Cadeau added a layup and Lendeborg finished a dunk during a stretch of four consecutive Michigan field goals, extending the lead to 11 with 6:25 to play.
Ohio State responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to four, but Mara capped a fast break with a lob finish in the closing seconds. Michigan took a 39-35 lead into halftime.
What's Next
The Wolverines advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and will face No. 23 and fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon (March 14) at noon C.T. at the United Center. The game will be televised on CBS.
Game Notes
• The 2025-26 team is the first in program history to beat Ohio State three times in the same season. The feat has been possible since 1998, the first year of the Big Ten Tournament. Including this season, Michigan has beaten Ohio State twice in the same season 18 times.
• The win is Michigan's first Big Ten Tournament victory at the United Center since the semifinal game of the 2019 event. It is also win No. 10 in the 12 times the United Center has hosted the tournament.
• The Wolverines have earned a triple-bye in the first season of the expanded 18-team tournament. This season marks their third appearance as the tournament's top seed and their first since 2021.
• Michigan has won 85 games all-time against Ohio State. Today marks the 21st win decided by four points or fewer. Four of those 21 wins have come since 2013, with the previous closest victory occurring in 1994.
• Today marks Michigan's second Big Ten Tournament win against Ohio State in the 28-year history of the event. The first came in the semifinal of the 2014 tournament in Indianapolis, Ind., on March 15 (W, 72-69).
• Michigan has three neutral-site wins against Ohio State and holds a 3-7 record in those matchups. Two of the three victories were by four points and one by three, for an average neutral-site margin of victory of +3.33 points.
• The 2026 Big Ten Tournament is a homecoming for both Burnett and Johnson. Burnett played high school basketball at Morgan Park High School, 17.0 miles from the United Center, while Johnson played at Thornton Township High School, 24.0 miles away.
• Since going scoreless from three-point range against Duke, freshman McKenney has shot well from deep over the last five games, averaging 2.2 made threes per game (11 total) on 4.8 attempts per game (24 total), a 45.8 percent clip.
• Cadeau recorded seven assists today for the 13th time this season. In those 13 games, he has also scored double-digit points six times, most recently two games ago at Iowa (Mar. 5).
