The Michigan Wolverines are headed to the Big Ten Championship Game after a 72-69 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon. It's the first Big Ten title game appearance for the Wolverines since 1998, when the team won a conference title that's since been vacated due to NCAA violations.
Big Ten Tournament 2014 bracket: Michigan heads to title game for first time since 1998
Last time the Wolverines were in a Big Ten title game, Robert “Tractor” Traylor was their star player.
Andy Lyons
Updates: Latest from Big Ten Tournament
Led by Big Ten Player of the Year Nik Stauskas, Michigan turned in a fantastic shooting performance on Saturday to top OSU. The Wolverines shot 12-of-23 (52 percent) from three-point range and 53 percent overall, carving up Thad Matta's defense to put away the game:
Stauskas was especially hot late, and finished with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting to lead Michigan. At times, it was quite easy to see why folks voted him the conference’s best:
Caris LeVert added 17 points and eight rebounds in the win, Michigan's seventh in a row.
LaQuinton Ross led Ohio State with 19 points and six rebounds, shooting 7-of-16 from the floor. Shannon Scott helped keep the Buckeyes in it with a great performance off the bench, recording 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals.
Aaron Craft, another Big Ten star, had some solid moments (nine points, seven rebounds, six assists), but a last-gasp attempt to force overtime wasn’t so, well, crafty:
Michigan will face the winner of Saturday’s semifinal matchup between Wisconsin and Michigan State on Sunday for the conference title. It would be the Wolverines’ first in 16 years. Here’s a link to the full Big Ten bracket.
See More:
