March 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) grabs a rebound against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Image Four Michigan players scored in double figures and the top-seeded Wolverines advanced to the Big Ten Conference tournament semifinals with a 71-67 win over eighth-seeded Ohio State on Friday in Chicago.
Adey Mara had 17 points and seven rebounds for the third-ranked Wolverines (30-2), who play either Wisconsin or Illinois in Saturday’s semifinals. Elliot Cadeau added 15 points and seven assists and Trey McKenney came off the bench to score 12 points. Morez Johnson Jr. contributed 11th.
Bruce Thornton scored a game-high 22 points for the Buckeyes (21-12) and Devin Royal added 13 points and 11 rebounds. John Mobley Jr. had 12 points as Ohio State shot 37.9% (22 of 58) from the floor.
The Buckeyes led 62-60 with 5:08 left after Christoph Tilly hit a free throw. But Michigan regained the lead on Johnson’s layup with 4:07 remaining, and Yaxel Lendeborg’s two foul shots with just 6 seconds left sealed the win.
The Wolverines won despite shooting 39.1% (9 of 23) in the second half. They had a 19-8 advantage in turnover points and a 16-7 advantage in bench points.
Michigan, expected to be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, was playing its first game of the conference tournament after concluding the regular season on Sunday with a 90-80 win over Michigan State.
The Wolverines connected on defense early and took a 15-5 lead with 14:47 left in the first half when former Buckeyes guard Roddy Gayle Jr. hit two free throws.
Ohio State found traction in the second half, cutting a 25-14 deficit to 35-33 on Thornton’s 3-pointer before Michigan took a 39-35 advantage at the break. The Buckeyes are on a four-game winning streak and are expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines made half of their 30 shots in the first half and forced eight turnovers.
–Field level media
