It was a banner night for Michigan basketball – literally.
On the night Trey Burke’s jersey number was raised to the rafters at Crisler Center, the Wolverines did not allow his hometown team to spoil the feel good vibes. Michigan started slow against Ohio State, trailing for more than it led in the opening half. The Wolverines eventually took over in the second half, outlasting OSU, 74-62, in front of a raucous home crowd.
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Trailing by six, Michigan ripped off an 11-0 run, only to be answered by a 6-0 Ohio State run, and from there, the teams went back and forth, changing leads 12 times, while tying another nine. But when it came down to it, the man wearing Burke’s jersey number took over, in front of him.
Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau (3) dribbles against Ohio State forward Devin Royal (21) during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.
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Michigan led by one – after U-M guard Elliot Cadeau delivered a bounce pass to Morez Johnson Jr. for a slam – before Cadeau made his first shot, a 25-foot 3-pointer. After Aday Mara hit a pair of clutch free throws, Cadeau hit another 3 from the same spot, on the left wing, off a Yaxel Lendeborg offensive rebound, making it a nine-point lead.
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OSU got as close as 62-56, before Mara threw down a putback slam and Lendeborg and Nimari Burnett executed a transition give-and-go en route to a Lendeborg layup for U-M’s first double-digit lead.
U-M’s big three led the way as Lendeborg had 18 points and nine rebounds, Johnson added 12 points and seven boards and Mara finished with 11 points, six boards, four blocks and two steals.
And then there was the other Trey in the building – true freshman Trey McKenney, who scored 12. Cadeau, meanwhile, finished with six points (all of which were crucial) and a game-high eight assists.
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Why Michigan couldn’t put it away
Michigan led by three at the half, only for the Buckeyes to open the second with a 10-2 run. That’s when U-M finally connected: Johnson hit a layup and McKenney made a pair of free throws – a rare occurrance as the Wolverines hit just 50% at the line in the first half before finishing at 60% – and U-M went into a full-court press.
That brought a strip of Gabe Cupps by Cadeau – not far from the spot on the court of Burke’s famous strip of MSU’s Keith Appling in 2013 – which led to a fastbreak the other way and a layup by Lendeborg to tie it at 40.
Lendeborg then tippped in his own miss, stripped Bruce Thornton Jr. to set up a McKenney three-point play off a layup, as part of an 11-0 spurt.
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But U-M let OSU hang around, turning it over on three straight possessions. U-M had 14 turnovers, though none came in the final 7:13. The teams stayed within two points for nearly seven minutes until Cadeau buried the 3.
Buzz from the tip off
Michigan center Aday Mara (15) passes the ball against Ohio State center Christoph Tilly (13) during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.
Cadeau threw the game’s opening lob to Mara for a slam less than 10 seconds in, promising a celebration that didn’t arrive until much later.
U-M was often sloppy, but it had energy all night, doing its work on the boards with a 36-27 edge in rebounds, which included an 18-11 advantage in the second half. The Buckeyes largely outplayed U-M in the first half, led by John Mobley Jr. who scored 14 of his team-high 22 in the opening 20 minutes.
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But both teams struggled to shoot in the first half – OSU was 2-for-13 on 3-pointers while U-M was 2-for-11.
Next up for the Wolverines
The Wolverines (18-1, 8-1 Big Ten) won’t have it easy in their final game before heading to East Lansing for next Friday’s rivalry throwdown with No. 10 Michigan State, though at least they’ll be home on Tuesday (7 p.m. Peacock). On deck is 19-0 Nebraska, one of two undefeated Power Four teams in the nation; the No. 7 Cornhuskers will be coming off a visit to Minnesota on Saturday.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball romps in second half vs Ohio State at Crisler
