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Men's Basketball
Buckeyes Out for Revenge Against “School Up North”
By Brandon CastelThe last time Ohio State and Michigan met on the basketball court, it was the Wolverines getting the best of the Buckeyes in a 73-64 game up in Ann Arbor.
It was the second of three straight losses on the road for OSU to start Big Ten play, but it stands alone because it has been a while since anyone wearing Maize and Blue has gotten the better of the Scarlet and Gray.
In fact, Ohio State head coaches Jim Tressel (football), Thad Matta (men’s basketball) and Jim Foster, (women’s basketball) were a combined 27-2 in their careers against Michigan before that loss back on Jan. 3.
Football has always been the driving force behind the rivalry, losing to Michigan in anything has never sat well with Ohio State fans.
“It doesn't matter what it is. It could be badminton out there playing, but it's Ohio State vs. Michigan, so it just makes it that much more competitive,” junior captain David Lighty said Friday.
The ninth-ranked Buckeyes (22-7, 12-4 Big Ten) were competitive in that game in Ann Arbor despite playing without probable Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner. They held the lead late in the game before DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris took control with an 11-0 run down the stretch.
“We played okay up there. We had the lead with five minutes to play and we left with a sour taste in our mouths,” Lighty said, recalling how they let one slip away.
The Wolverines (13-14, 6-9) went on to win three of their next four games following their win over Ohio State, but things have gone downhill quickly from there. They have lost seven of their last 10 games, including back-to-back losses at home against Penn State and Illinois.
That won’t lull the Buckeyes into a false sense of security, however, as they welcome the Wolverines to Value City Arena Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) for their second to last home game of the season.
“All I know is they beat us. That’s the big thing in our minds,” said Matta, who is now 9-2 in his career against Michigan.
“They’ve got some very, very talented players up there.”
Certainly Harris and Sims will be the focus for Ohio State after the way they torched the Buckeyes up north, but they have also gotten solid contributions from players like Zack Novak and Laval Lucas-Perry in recent weeks.
“Their role players are playing a lot better now,” OSU junior Jon Diebler said.
The Buckeyes are also a much different team than the last time these two schools met on the hardwood. Back then they were on their way to 1-3 start in conference play, but today they have won 11 of their last 12 Big Ten games and are only a half-game behind No. 3 Purdue for first place the standings.
“21 makes a difference, but I think we’ve gotten better from that particular point in the season,” Matta said.
Having Turner back will certainly make things much more difficult on John Beilein and his team. The 6-foot-7 point guard is averaging 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists this season and has been playing some of his best basketball down the stretch.
The same goes for Lighty, who said he never gets tired of facing the team’s rivals from the north on the basketball court, although he wouldn’t mind lining up across from them on Saturday’s in the fall.
“It’s always the school up north. I’d love to,” said the competitive Cleveland product, who was also all-state in football at Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
“I just want to score a touchdown in there in from of 100 thousand fans at the ‘Shoe.”
Michigan Projected Starting Lineup
F 34 DeShawn Sims (6-8, Sr., Detroit)
G 3 Manny Harris (6-5, Jr., Detroit)
G 0 Zack Novak (6-5, So., Chesterton, Ind.)
G 1 Stu Douglass (6-3, So., Carmel, Ind.)
G 4 Darius Morris (6-4, Fr., Los Angeles)
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