Ohio State takes down last of the unbeatens

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Trey Burke stared up at the scoreboard, his hands over his head. He couldn't believe it hadn't gone in.

The shot had felt so good. It had looked even better, but Burke's go-ahead 3-pointer rattled in and out as No. 2-ranked Michigan fell 56-53 at Ohio State on Sunday.

"We made shots and executed really well. Most importantly, we forced them to play defense, which is what we really didn't do against Illinois," Buckeyes forward Deshaun Thomas said aftre Ohio State knocked off the last remaining undefeated team in college basketball.

"We showed toughness and composure today. We held the ball and we were patient with the play. They hit some big shots, but we had key rebounds that helped us keep our composure and win the game."

Burke, a native of Columbus who played alongside former OSU All-American Jared Sullinger at Northland High School, scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half as Michigan (16-1, 3-1 Big Ten) rallied from a 21-point deficit.

The Wolverines came all the way back to tie their archrivals at 46-46 with just over five minutes to play but couldn't get the big shot they needed to avoid the upset at Value City Arena.

"They are a very good defensive team and we've got to finish some plays, but it would have been nice (to make some of those)," Michigan coach John Beilein said.

"We probably tried to make plays that we don't always make. We'll learn from a lot of those things."

Ohio State (13-3, 3-1) pushed its lead back to six with three minutes to play, but it was down to two when Burke pulled up from behind the arc with 15 seconds left. His shot rattled in and out, landing in the hands of Lenzelle Smith Jr., who made two free throws to put the game out of reach.

Thomas scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the first half as 15th-ranked Ohio State raced out to what seemed like an insurmountable lead.

Burke knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Wolverines a quick lead to open the game.

Michigan wouldn't lead again. Thomas and guard Aaron Craft keyed a 16-0 run for the Buckeyes, who quickly took control against the last undefeated team in college basketball. Ohio State pushed its lead to 21 points on a free throw from Amir Williams that made it 29-8 with 6:52 to play in the first half.

The Wolverines uncharacteristically turned the ball over nine times in the first half, with Ohio State scoring 16 points off the turnovers.

Craft held Burke, one of the top point guards in the country, to five points and one assist in the first half, but Michigan made one big push at the end of the half to stay within striking distance.

"We said there's only one way we're going to do this: stop by stop; possession by possession," Beilein said. "We thought we had to be more efficient offensively."

A Jordan Morgan dunk cut Ohio State's lead to 16 and a 3-pointer from freshman Spike Albrecht made it a 14-point game with 2:10 to play. Burke closed out the half with a layup to cap a 14-5 run that kept Michigan in the game with a 12-point deficit.

"We lost our composure momentarily there for a while," said Thad Matta, who improved to 17-3 against Michigan as Ohio State's coach. "During a timeout, I had to remind them of Will Ferrell's (quote) 'ELE - everybody love everybody,' but we pulled out the victory and I'm proud of them."

The Wolverines were able to carry that late momentum into the second half, holding Ohio State to 12 points in the first 13 minutes after halftime. They outscored the Buckeyes 31-22 in the second half, but Ohio State made the plays it needed in the final three minutes to hold on.

"We came out too slow in the first half and missed opportunities," Burke said, "In the second half, we came out like we should have come out in the first half, but it was too late for us to make up the difference."

Burke led Michigan with 15 points and Tim Hardaway, Jr. added 12, but they were a combined 9 of 28 form the floor.

The Buckeyes held Michigan to 38 percent shooting from the floor and the Wolverines were just 6 of 20 from behind the arc. That included freshman Nik Stauskas, who was scoreless for the first time this season, going 0 of 3.

NOTES: Thomas left the game with a right leg injury midway through the second half. He was down on the court for a few seconds but got up and walked off under his own power. He returned to the game at the next deadball. ... Center Amir Williams started his fifth straight game for the Buckeyes. The sophomore from Birmingham, Mich. was banged up during a win Tuesday at Purdue, but he practiced late in the week. Williams wore a sleeve on his right knee ... Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was in attendance on a big recruiting weekend. ... Matta is 17-3 against Michigan, 116-46 against the Big Ten and 147-13 at home as coach of the Buckeyes.