As the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-5, 5-3) heads to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (17-1, 7-1), the Buckeyes will look to secure an upset and their biggest win of the season.
Will this game be an instant classic? There have been many over the years of Ohio State and Michigan men’s basketball.
Here are six of the best games the two teams have played.
March 12, 2010: No. 7 Ohio State 69, Michigan 68
No one expected this game to be close when it was tipped off, but it ended
up being one of the more memorable finishes in Ohio State basketball history.
In the 2010 Big Ten Tournament, No. 1-seeded Ohio State faced No. 8 Michigan, and it looked like Michigan was going to pull off the huge upset until Evan Turner drilled a half-court three-pointer with two minutes left in the game. We were all Jon Diebler and Thad Matta at the end of this video.
March 29, 1992: No. 15 Michigan 75, No. 3 Ohio State 71
This has a greater impact because it was an Elite Eight game, and the Fab Five faced off against Jim Jackson.
Ohio State, led by Jackson, was a No. 1 seed in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes won both regular-season matchups with No. 6 seed Michigan, which was led by the Fab Five. Those teams collided in an Elite Eight classic at Rupp Arena. Jackson scored 20 points, and Ohio State had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but a jumper from Chris Jent missed.
The Wolverines pulled away in overtime behind Chris Webber and Jalen Rose.
Feb. 5, 2013 – No. 3 Michigan 76, No. 10 Ohio State 74
This was almost a huge upset for the Buckeyes, as Michigan came into this one 20-2. Tim Hardaway scored 23 points, and Trey Burke added 16 to give the Wolverines a slight edge over Ohio State. Mitch McGary added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Ohio State, which entered this game 17-4, got 17 points from Deshaun Thomas and 16 points from LaQuinton Ross in their quest for an upset.
Feb. 27, 1971: No. 18 Ohio State 91, No. 12 Michigan 85
In the 2010s, this game would have been the norm for the Buckeyes and Wolverines. However, in 1971, this was the first-ranked matchup between the two teams.
Jim Cleamons led the Buckeyes to a victory at Crisler Arena, and it was a great season for both teams. Ohio State won the Big Ten that season, and Michigan finished second. Western Kentucky ended the Buckeyes’ season in the Elite Eight.
March 15, 2014: No. 8 Michigan 72, No. 24 Ohio State 69
This one was a Big Ten conference tournament game and a Shannon Scott masterclass. Scott scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. However, Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert, and Glenn Robinson combined for 46 points to lead Michigan to the win, spoiling the Ohio State bid for an upset.
Feb. 16, 2025: No. 20 Michigan 86, Ohio State 83
The last time these two played was a classic, with the Buckeyes almost pulling off the upset in Columbus as they welcomed back Roddy Gayle Jr., who transferred to Michigan from Ohio State that season.
Devin Royal scored 26 points, and Bruce Thornton had a floater to tie the game with two seconds left, but he left it short, and Michigan held on to win the first matchup between Dusty May and Jake Diebler.
