Basketball: Michigan vs. Ohio State

From: CBSSports.com -

Staying unbeaten hasn’t proved easy for Ohio State in its most recent Big Ten games.

The second-ranked Buckeyes could have another tough time keeping their perfect record intact Wednesday when they visit Michigan, which nearly pulled off a major upset at Crisler Arena last weekend.

Ohio State (16-0, 3-0) held an 18-point lead with 8:31 remaining Sunday at home against Minnesota but had to fend off a late rally for a 67-64 win. William Buford partially blocked Austin Hollins’ 3-point attempt to finish a game that featured a combined 42 fouls, and Golden Gophers coach Tubby Smith felt Buford got away with one on the final play.

“It got a little hectic,” said senior swingman David Lighty, who scored a team-best 19 points while participating in a school-record 111th career victory. “We just have to keep our heads. Things didn’t go our way, but we stuck in there and found a way to win.”

That game followed a 73-68 win at Iowa on Jan. 4 in which the Buckeyes rallied from a halftime deficit then nearly blew a 13-point lead.

“Playing in the Big Ten is tough every game,” freshman forward Jared Sullinger said.

Ohio State could have another tough game against the Wolverines, who took No. 3 Kansas to overtime Sunday before falling 67-60 at home.

Michigan (11-5, 1-2) scored a season-low 18 points in the first half and trailed by 13 in the second half before rallying to force the extra period. The Wolverines took a brief lead in overtime on Zack Novak’s 3-pointer but were outscored 16-9 over those 5 minutes.

Freshman guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored a team-best 19 points, refused to take any solace in the close defeat to a highly ranked team.

“We can’t let people pat us on the back about this,” he said. “We have to keep a chip on our shoulder.”

Michigan is 10-2 at home and upset then-No. 15 Ohio State there 73-64 last season…….

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