Michigan Basketball: 3 key takeaways from massive win at Ohio State

For a Michigan basketball fan, there are few things better than beating Ohio State and on Sunday, in the first-ever top-five matchup between the two teams, the Wolverines scored a huge victory.

Not only does the win, the first since 2014 in Columbus, mean a ton to the Michigan basketball fanbase, it also allowed the Wolverines to take a gigantic step towards winning the Big Ten championship while also essentially ending any hopes Ohio State had of winning it.

There is still work to do for the Wolverines, especially with Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and two games against Michigan State on the schedule.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the regular season, this is Juwan Howard’s best win as Michigan basketball coach. He was 0-2 last season against the Buckeyes and falling to 0-3 would have really hurt.

His team delivered in a huge game and reinforced the idea that they are true national title contenders. The first goal is winning the Big Ten regular-season but the ambitions go beyond that and looking at the win in Columbus Sunday, here are some key takeaways:

Michigan’s seniors stepped up

If you are going to be really good teams on the road, you need more than just talent. The Wolverines have plenty of that but their experience delivered in a huge way too.

In the first half, Chaundee Brown, Isaiah Livers, Eli Brooks and Mike Smith made nine of their first 11 3-point attempts, which helped Michigan survive an early onslaught from E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington.

Franz Wagner had a tough go of things. Ohio State did a good job of defending him when he attacked the basket and he missed some open looks. He also didn’t force things when he didn’t have to and in the second half, he sat for a long period down the stretch because of Brown’s defense.

Liddell and Washington caused all sorts of matchup problems for U-M, but Brown did a better job on Washington in the closing stretch. He also grabbed two big offensive boards that helped Michigan pull in front for good late in the second half.