Mobley, Jr. continues to score in the 20s….John Mobley, Jr. led the Buckeyes with 22 points in Friday’s 74-62 loss at Michigan. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Ohio State didn’t back down Friday night, but too many mistakes in a short stretch of the second half was all the Wolverines needed to gain control and avoid the upset.
Ann Arbor, MI – Ohio State got a basket full of bad reminders Friday night on its trip north of the border in search of an upset.
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Trey Burke, the one that got away from Northland High School, had his number retired because of the national player of the year award he won in 2013 as Michigan’s dynamic point guard. No coincidence Michigan celebrated him with the Buckeyes in town.
The unranked Buckeyes, looking for a signature win and Big Ten relevancy, saw again what happens when fundamental funks of not blocking out for rebounds, gambling and over-helping on defense and offensive inefficiency combine for the worst timing.
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They were reminded that fast starts to halves guarantee nothing. Except for maybe the fact that their bad habit of a lethargic lull is coming.
They were reminded that Bruce Thornton can’t turn it on in the second half every game to help you win or at least be in it in the final seconds.
And, they were reminded that No. 3 Michigan – with five talented transfers in the starting lineup – is legitimately a top 10 team with legitimate Final Four aspirations. The Wolverines proved it with a 22-11 closeout over the final 7:52 to defeat the Buckeyes 74-62.
“That game was right there,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “What you want to see there is great execution. We didn’t make them earn it like we had been for a majority of the game.”
The Buckeyes trailed 52-51 when Christoph Tilly (17 points) made one of two free throws with 8:09 left, only to be followed by series of Michigan wins and Ohio State losses.
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“They were the more connected team at the end,” Ohio State guard John Mobley Jr. said. “That’s also on us. We didn’t play with that same grit and energy we played with to start the half, to start the game. We got to keep that consistency.”
Consistency disappeared and the funk ensued, starting with a wide-open 3-pointer for Elliot Cadeau. The Buckeyes hadn’t let that happen to that degree for over 32 minutes.
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Two Michigan free throws were followed by a Tilly turnover. That set up Yaxel Lendeborg to snare one of Michigan’s 12 offensive rebounds and kick out to Cadeau for another 3-pointer and a 60-51 lead.
The Buckeyes, though smaller, continued to battle physically and didn’t quit. Mobley’s fourth 3-pointer cut the lead to 62-56. Then Michigan hit the resume button. Aday Mara, the 7-foot-3 center, dunked back an offensive rebound. Lendeborg stole the ball from Mobley Jr. and scored a layup. And another Mobley Jr. turnover on a Mara steal set up freshman Trey McKenney for a 3-pointer.
Michigan, in a little over three minutes, went from a one-point lead to a 69-56 lead with 4:05 left with defense and offensive rebounding. And Trey Burke night was a success.
“This one’s personal to me, especially with Trey getting his jersey retired,” Mobley Jr. said. “Trey was a mentor to me growing up. I worked out with him all the time growing up. I wanted my bragging rights – we compete all the time.”
As Mobley Jr. spoke, Burke stood nearby in the busy and noisy tunnel about 50 feet from the floor, adding to the conversation just loudly enough to be heard.
“He’s growing up, man,” Burke said. “He’s growing up.”
Then the two embraced, posed for a photo and caught up.
On a night when Thornton scored only 10 points and Devin Royal four on combined 5 of 18 shooting – and credit Michigan’s bulk, length and ball pressure for much of it – Mobley Jr. made Burke proud with his third straight game over 20 points.
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Following his career-high 28 against UCLA and 26 against Minnesota, Mobley Jr. scored 22 and made 4 of 10 3-pointers plus a variety of difficult shots from much closer range.
“Really doesn’t mean anything when you don’t win, but I’m just putting winning first,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do is put my mindset to the whole season, especially this January, knowing how last January went. Just putting winning first, and everything else is coming with it.”
The team’s “winning over everything” motto has made a habit of showing up at the start of games and the second half. Against Michigan the Buckeyes erased a 33-30 halftime deficit with a 10-1 run to lead 40-34.
Then the all-too-familiar slump hit. Michigan scored the next 11 to lead 45-40. Instead of playing with a lead, the Buckeyes were in catchup mode, a mode you don’t want to get stuck in on the road against the No. 3 team.
That slump, coupled with mistakes of the late run that put Michigan in control, continued to raise questions the Buckeyes want to answer about consistency.
“It was that one stretch, and against this team, in their gym, when you get that stop you gotta get that rebound.” – Jake Diebler
“We continue to watch film, we continue to teach and coach and put ourselves in those situations,” Diebler said. “We had a couple of situations against Minnesota, and we watched them, we talked about it, things we needed to do better. It was that one stretch, and against this team, in their gym, when you get that stop you gotta get that rebound.”
The Buckeyes (13-6, 5-4 Big Ten) weren’t expected to win at Michigan (18-1, 8-1), though they had a chance with eight minutes left. But they have 11 Big Ten games left starting at home Monday night against Penn State with plenty of chances for signature wins.
Then it’s on the road to Maryland and Wisconsin before a return date with Michigan and a chance at a second all-important Quad 1 win as they chase an NCAA Tournament berth.
“We’ve got the whole second half in front of us, and we’re gonna do a lot better,” Tilly said. “It comes down to small things that we as players have to execute. I don’t think it’s gonna take too long.”
If Tilly’s prophecy happens soon, Friday night’s primetime reminders might not be repeated.
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