Big Ten takeaways: Ohio State keeps rolling, Michigan watches wheels fall off

Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh throws down a WILD one-handed jam vs. Iowa Ohio State, Iowa feature in WILD full-court SCRAMBLE in the Buckeyes’ 73-65 victory over the Hawkeyes Hunter Dickinson hits the turnaround hook-shot and draws the foul Rutgers’ Derek Simpson goes SKY HIGH and delivers a beautiful two-handed dunk against Michigan ‘This team can play’

Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

Note: Michael Cohen is sharing takeaways on the action throughout the Big Ten Tournament.

Game 2: Ohio State 73, Iowa 69

CHICAGO — In the media room on Wednesday night, after 13th-seeded Ohio State upset 12th-seeded Wisconsin, the Buckeyes’ players at the postgame news conference were asked if this week at United Center was their version of March Madness. They’d finished the regular season 14-18 and 5-15 in the Big Ten with but a single path to the NCAA Tournament: win five games in five days here in Chicago.

“I think as far as saying that this is our dance, I would say no,” guard Sean McNeil said. “We’re confident. We’re playing a lot better. We obviously have a big task in front of us to win the next five games in five days, but we’re going to continue to take one day at a time.”

The Buckeyes extended their season another day by pairing one upset with another, this time felling No. 5 Iowa, 73-69, in a pulsating game to conclude the early session of Thursday’s action at the Big Ten Tournament. Bruce Thornton (17 points), Brice Sensabaugh (16 points), Justice Sueing (14 points) and McNeil (13 points) catalyzed a blistering shooting display in which Ohio State shot 53.1% from the field in the second half.

Twenty points from Filip Rebraca, 17 from Kris Murray and 16 from Tony Perkins weren’t enough for an Iowa squad that shot just 2-for-17 from beyond the arc and allowed the Buckeyes to score 14 points off turnovers.

“There’s a way you’ve got to play to give yourself a chance,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “Tonight was a great example. We’ve been saying that over and over, and I think it’s been validated in how our guys have performed really starting with the first half at Purdue. You play the right way, you give yourselves a chance. We’ve done that.”

Ohio State will face Michigan State in Friday’s quarterfinal action.

Small-ball Buckeyes

On Wednesday night, following a first-round upset of Wisconsin, reserve center Felix Okpara drew praise from Holtmann for the improvements he’s made during an unusual freshman season. Okpara, who hails from Lagos, Nigeria, had played more than 20 minutes just once prior to the penultimate game of the regular season against Maryland, an impressive 73-62 win. Okpara scored 12 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots in 31 minutes during the most impressive outing of his career.

Exactly one week later, Okpara matched his season-high for playing time in a win over the Badgers that extended the Buckeyes’ season to Thursday afternoon. His statistical output was far less impressive — he only scored three points and only grabbed four rebounds — but his low-post defense and rim protection proved critical in a 65-57 win. He was growing into the role as fellow big man Zed Key, the original starting center, watched from the bench in sweats while recovering from late-season shoulder surgery.

Though Okpara returned to the starting lineup for the second-round date with Iowa, his playing time waned as Holtmann experimented with a small-ball lineup devoid of a traditional center. Junior wing Eugene Brown II, who is 6-foot-7, and brawny guard Isaac Likekele, who is 6-foot-5, functioned as auxiliary big men as the Buckeyes sought positional versatility against the offensively-gifted Hawkeyes. Okpara played 11 minutes in stints that largely bookended the first half.

Having so many guards and wings on the floor produced a more free-flowing offense for Ohio State on the other end of the floor. Likekele became a playmaker in the middle of Iowa’s zone defense and dished out two assists in the opening 20 minutes. Freshman Brice Sensabaugh had cleaner driving lanes and scored eight points through an effective use of dribble penetration.

The Buckeyes, who shot 44.4% from the field in the first half, took a 29-28 lead into the break.

Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh throws down a WILD one-handed jam vs. Iowa

Second-half eruption

What felt like another dogged Big Ten affair quickly escaped the muck and accelerated into overdrive during the second half. An Iowa team ranked third nationally in offensive efficiency and 53rd in tempo baited the Buckeyes into a track meet with a full-court press that created early scoring opportunities whenever they cleared midcourt. And an Ohio State squad that ranks 21st in offensive efficiency but just 227th in tempo appeared more than willing to oblige.

A breakneck pace ensued. The Buckeyes enjoyed a run of nine made field goals in 12 attempts during a six-minute stretch in which they scored 18 points. There was a flurry of clutch jumpers from guard Sean McNeil, who lamented a season’s worth of poor shooting after last night’s win. There were incredible isolation buckets from future first-round pick Sensabaugh. Even when a possession broke down in the final two minutes — the Buckeyes scrambling and squealing and screeching as the shot clock nearly expired — sixth-year senior Justice Sueing buried a 3 from the left wing.

The Hawkeyes responded by making nine of 14 shots during a sizzling second half in which they blended high-level shotmaking with incredible efficiency at the free-throw line. Bruising guard Tony Perkins hurled himself at the basket time and again with gutsy drives that earned him 11 second-half points. Lanky wing Patrick McCaffery answered McNeil’s jumpers with a few of his own. By the final media timeout — at which point Ohio State led 64-61 — the seesaw affair included eight ties and 18 lead changes as the crowd vacillated between gasps and groans.

Officials needed a review to sort through a frantic sequence in which eight bodies clattered to the floor at two different crash points with 11 seconds remaining. The ball was awarded to Ohio State, and Sueing hit two free-throws to create a four-point margin that sealed the win.

“They’re a really good team,” Murray said. “When they put it together, tough to beat, as you kind of saw these last couple games for them. As I said, they’re tough to beat when they’re hot and when they’re playing together.”

Ohio State, Iowa feature in WILD full-court SCRAMBLE in the Buckeyes’ 73-65 victory over the Hawkeyes

Game 1: Rutgers 62, Michigan 50

CHICAGO — The realization of a squandered season looked like this: head coach Juwan Howard, whose Michigan Wolverines were getting run off the court by Rutgers, putting hands to head in disbelief as his inefficient offense repeated mistake after mistake; director of player personnel Jay Smith grimacing and groaning and cocking his head back in frustration; shooting guard Kobe Bufkin rocketing a pass into the front row of courtside media at the United Center because he’d gotten caught in the air for the umpteenth time.

Michigan traveled to Chicago knowing it needed multiple wins to offset an unsightly start to the season that placed the Wolverines on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Howard’s team knew that its first and, eventually, only opponent in the Big Ten Tournament was in a similar position. Rutgers finished the regular season 19-12 overall and 10-10 in conference play. Just like Michigan, the Scarlet Knights needed to avoid an early exit to cement their postseason dream.

What unfolded Thursday afternoon was a rugged game between flawed teams with obvious limitations. Neither Michigan nor Rutgers shot better than 39% from the field. They combined to miss 25 shots from beyond the arc. There were nearly as many turnovers (23) as assists (30).

Wars of attrition are not things the Wolverines tend to win, and a disappointing 62-50 loss to Rutgers became the final nail in their maize and blue coffin. Michigan made just one field goal in the first 19 minutes of the second half as offensive futility reigned. The Scarlet Knights pulled away for a win that all but assures them of an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens the rest of the week.

“In the second half,” Howard said, “for us to be able to only make four shots and shoot 4-for-21 — then you also add the turnovers and then offensive rebounds — it was just a really rough second half for this group. At times we got a little out of character as far as what we do instead of just keeping it simple, like we did in the first half.”

Guards Cam Spencer and Derek Simpson combined for 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead Rutgers into the quarterfinals against top-seeded Purdue.

Center Hunter Dickinson (24 points) was the only Michigan player in double figures.

Hunter Dickinson hits the turnaround hook-shot and draws the foul

Contrasting styles in the post

Over the last two seasons, the most compelling on-court matchup between Rutgers and Michigan has been the low-block bludgeoning between Dickinson and Clifford Omoruyi — two of the best centers in the league for entirely different reasons.

The former is among the most polished big men in college basketball for the second straight year, his arsenal a kaleidoscope of half-hooks, leaners, up-and-under layups and, as his game evolved, the occasional 3-point shot. What Dickinson lacks in lift and burst he offsets with savvy and skill to lead the Wolverines in scoring (18.2 points per game) and rebounding (nine per game).

The latter is among the bounciest, most vertically-gifted big men in college basketball, his development jerking in fits and starts after moving to the United States from Nigeria. Omoruyi also lead his team in scoring (13.5 points per game) and rebounding (9.8 per game) but did so by playing above the rim. His high-flying alley-oops and put-back jams produced some of the league’s most jaw-dropping highlights this season.

In Chicago, the early portion of Thursday’s second-round matchup between Rutgers and Michigan, Omoruyi and Dickinson, encapsulated the chasm between their styles. The Wolverines built an early lead through Dickinson’s silky, almost artful, manipulation of the paint, his 13 points leading all scorers at the break. Omoruyi’s attempts to answer felt jagged and forced as he missed five of his first six shots from the field.

A nitpicky second foul on Omoruyi with 6:21 remaining in the first half afforded Michigan an opportunity to grow its 7-point lead against backup center Antwone Woolfolk, a 6-foot-9 freshman averaging seven minutes per game. But Rutgers fortified the lane with ball-swiping guards to double Dickinson on the block, and a defense that ranks fourth nationally in efficiency forced three turnovers in quick succession to claw back into the game. The Scarlet Knights closed the half by outscoring Michigan 14-10 as Omoruyi watched from the bench.

Rutgers’ Derek Simpson goes SKY HIGH and delivers a beautiful two-handed dunk against Michigan

Clamping down on Bufkin

The driving factor behind a late-season resurgence that reeled the Wolverines into discussions about the NCAA Tournament bubble was the ever-expanding repertoire of sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin, an in-state recruit from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bufkin endured a trying freshman campaign in which he was mired behind veteran guards Eli Brooks and DeVante’ Jones and then struggled during the limited minutes apportioned to him. He averaged just 3 points per game and was repeatedly exploited by hard-charging guards on defense.

Few players in the Big Ten made larger improvements from Year 1 to Year 2 than Bufkin, a burgeoning star who caught the attention of NBA scouts and executives during the second half of the season. Bufkin entered the conference tournament having reached double-figure scoring in 10 consecutive games. He averaged 20.3 points per game from Feb. 14 through the end of the regular season and shot 14-of-31 (45.2%) from 3-point range during that stretch.

But Bufkin’s inability to replicate that kind of scoring against Rutgers doomed the Wolverines in a game they needed for a shoddy NCAA Tournament resume. The poise and level-headedness he displayed for the better part of six weeks fizzled against the Scarlet Knights’ ball-hawking defense. Bufkin committed a season-high seven turnovers and finished with his lowest point total since Jan. 29 against Penn State.

“Give credit where credit is due,” Bufkin said. “Obviously Rutgers is a very good defensive team. Me personally, I felt like I probably played my worst brand of basketball on the worst day to play it. Seven turnovers is unacceptable.”

Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell masterfully blended his defensive calls to frustrate the Wolverines. He paired sticky man-to-man defense with an aggressive 2-3 zone that pushed Michigan’s guards deeper and deeper beyond the 3-point line to initiate their offensive sets. And when passes were eventually whipped toward Dickinson on the interior, the Scarlet Knights repeatedly jumped the passing lanes for deflections and steals. An occasional burst of three-quarter-court pressure offered yet another confounding wrinkle.

When the final horn sounded, Rutgers had held Michigan to just four field goals and 19% shooting in the second half. Defensive resoluteness personified.

“Just a good-old Rutgers grind-you-down win,” guard Caleb McConnell said. “This is the type of game we win.”