Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
Wolverines come out of Ann Arbor with the rivalry win, but the Buckeyes put on a great showing as underdogs by more than 16 points on the road.
The Buckeyes made the trip up north to Ann Arbor on Friday night for an 8 pm tip, with a chance to shock the country and make their bid for an NCAA Tournament appearance much easier. When the tip-off happened, Ohio State closed the line at +16.5 underdogs against the best offensive team in the country.
Michigan got the early start, right off the tip. Elliot Cadeau rifled an alley-oop to Aday Mara, which was quickly answered by a John Mobley jumper. That was the start of what would end up being a 22-point performance by the Sophomore from Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
Yaxel Lendeborg would score six of the Wolverines’ first eleven going into the media timeout. The story of this game for the Buckeyes was the lack of discipline. At the 14:18 mark, after a made layup, Mobley would slap the ball out of the Michigan player’s hand, which, by rule, is a delay of game technical foul, not the first time this would be called on the Buckeyes.
The rest of the first half was the John Mobley show as he would get two three-pointers to go in alongside two jumpers, giving the Buckeyes a lead on the road against the third-ranked Wolverines. But the front-court trio of Lendeborg, Mara, and Morez Johnson was too much for the Buckeyes to handle, as they would combine for 41 of 74 total Wolverine points.
JOHN MOBLEY JR IS ON ONE RIGHT NOW
pic.twitter.com/HzYO7TvOWB— The Ohio State Hoops Insider (@OSUHoopsInsider) January 24, 2026
Christoph Tilly and John Mobley would get the second half started for Ohio State, with Mobley having five early points, followed by a Christoph Tilly three-pointer, forcing the Wolverines into an early timeout situation. But foul trouble would start to haunt Ohio State, as with ten minutes left in the game, Michigan had attempted nineteen free throws to Ohio State’s two. There is always a home whistle, but this felt like a one-sided contest.
Devin Royal would pick up the second technical foul for the same thing John Mobley did earlier in the game, but this time Royal was trying to tip the ball to Trey McKenny, when McKenny did not catch the ball, and the refs gave Royal a technical foul for a Delay of Game.
That moment felt like a momentum killer for Ohio State, and the Wolverines would start to take over the game as they finished on a 24-12 run in the final eight minutes of the game. Ohio State was able to compete up to the final buzzer but fell just short.
The Buckeyes were able to compete with one of the best teams in the country on the road for thirty-five consistent minutes. This Buckeyes team will definitely be one to watch come tournament time, and a team that does not give up until the final horn is sounded.
Ohio State hosts Penn State on Monday night in what should be a bounce-back game before traveling to Madison for a matchup against Wisconsin next Saturday.
AJ is currently a sophomore at Bowling Green State University. He has been a sports fan and Ohio State fan since he was a kid, and has been covering sports since 2020. AJ runs his own podcast called Just Talkin Sports, where he interviews athletes from all sports. He has over 2,300 plays on Spotify and 300 followers on Instagram. AJ plans to study Sport Management and minor in marketing while also interning for BGSU Athletics Strategic Communications.