Michigan Outpaced By Ohio State
INDIANAPOLIS (WWJ/AP) - A disappointing afternoon for Michigan losing to top ranked Ohio State 68-61 Saturday in the Big Ten semifinals.
As heard on WWJ Newsradio 950 a second half 16-0 run by the Buckeyes gave Ohio State an 18 point lead that they never relinquished.
The Wolverines were led by Darius Morris with 16 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. with 15.
Michigan got as close as 47-45 with 9:51 left, but the Buckeyes answered with 16 straight points and held off a late charge that got the Wolverines within four in the final minute.
Speaking on WWJ's Post Game Show with Tony Ortiz, Michigan coach John Beilein spoke to Matt Shepard about the game: "We feel bad right now because Ohio State has a tremendous team-they get easy buckets that we don't," Beilein says. "They have tremendous talent and seasoned talent."
"We played our hearts out, we lost to the No. 1 team in the nation-it could've been much closer than that," Beilein says about the late run by the Wolverines.
The regular-season league champs and defending tournament champs will play in a record-tying third straight championship game Sunday against either sixth-seeded Penn State or seventh- seeded Michigan State. Illinois also played in three consecutive title games from 2003-05.
Jared Sullinger had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 1 Ohio State boosted its bid for the NCAA tournament's top overall seed.
Ohio State (31-2) has won six straight games overall and all three matchups this season with Michigan (20-13).
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