Michigan basketball team knocks off No. 15 Ohio State, 73-64

Michigan basketball players react in the last few minutes of the Wolverines' 73-64 win against Ohio State at Crisler Arena on Sunday. (Photo: Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com)

Manny Harris drove down the left side of the lane late in the second half, cutting in front of one Ohio State defender and then jump-stopping into two more. Along the way, David Lighty came in, colliding with the Michigan guard.

Both players went flying, and the referee blew his whistle as Harris chucked up a wild, off-balanced shot. It rattled on the rim, dropped in and all of Crisler Arena went nuts.

In that moment, the emotion was back for Michigan basketball. It arrived for the first time this season in the Wolverines’ 73-64 win over No. 15 Ohio State, a passion they hadn’t been seen since last season.

The reason was simple - Michigan (7-6 overall, 1-1 in the Big Ten) for the first time this year looked like the team ranked No. 15 in the country before the season started.

“That whole second half, we just played with a lot of heart, and we needed that,” sophomore guard Zack Novak said. “I don’t know, we haven’t had very much of it. It has a lot to do with when you’re not hitting shots, you’re not playing very well, there’s not a lot to get excited about.

“This one, this was the best game we’ve played yet, and when you’re playing well, you get excited.”

Michigan junior guard Manny Harris attempts a shot over Ohio State junior Dallas Lauderdale, left, and senior P.J. Hill in the first half at Crisler Arena on Sunday. (Photo: Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com)

It showed when Harris made his shot. Novak ran over to Harris, who was lying on his back, and slapped his hand four times hard. The entire Michigan bench leapt up.

And for Michigan, it started a 13-3 run that allowed the Wolverines to pull away from Ohio State (10-4, 0-2).

“There were a lot of big buckets during that time, but he’s the only guy we’ve got that can go through a jungle like that and go through all those trees and swamps and put something in there,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “He did a great job of finding his way to the basket and finishing.”

The entire run came off points from Harris and senior forward DeShawn Sims. As Michigan has shown this season, when both of the Wolverines’ leaders play well, they are dangerous.

Combined, they might have had their best performance of the season.

Sims had 28 points and nine rebounds. Harris had 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

In many ways, it is because Michigan has renewed confidence. It’s a word Harris used often Sunday afternoon to explain why he played better, why the Wolverines played better than they had all year.

“It gave me confidence,” Harris said of his key basket. “And the whole team stood up off the bench and got excited and live about the whole situation. So it gave us a little bit more spark.

“We played with more energy than I think we did all year.”

The energy also gave Michigan a lift against an Ohio State team struggling to find its way without its own version of Harris - junior guard Evan Turner. Turner is expected to return this month after injuring his back in early December.

With Turner out, Ohio State missed a slasher it sorely needed, instead settling for 3-point shots. Junior guard Jon Diebler hit five of 11 three-pointers for the Buckeyes and had 17 points, but the rest of his teammates struggled from outside, which led to transition movement and points for Michigan. Beyond the missed shots, Michigan forced Ohio State into 13 turnovers and held the Buckeyes to 28.2 percent shooting in the second half.

“Today was really our team,” Sims said. “Collectively defensively and offensively we played good as a team, which made our overall game better and the game look better.

“It was a good Michigan preview out there tonight.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.

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