ANN ARBOR, Mich. _ Zavier Simpson is 6-foot tall and weighs 180 pounds. He's much smaller than Ohio State's Kaleb Wesson, who is 6-9, 270.
But that didn't stop Simpson from jawing at Wesson on Tuesday night, with the two starting a ruckus between both teams with around eight minutes left in the second half.
Michigan's 65-49 win over the Buckeyes was very much a game influenced by Simpson, who recorded the sixth triple-double in team history on Tuesday at Crisler Center. He had 11 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and two steals, exiting the game late to a standing ovation.
With the win, Michigan (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) climbed back into a tie atop the Big Ten standings with Michigan State.
Michigan's defense turned a close game into a blowout.
Ohio State got off to a nice start on offense and led 26-25 with 2 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first half.
But by halftime, the Buckeyes trailed 32-26 after committing 11 turnovers and making just 10 field goals. Some of it was carelessness, but much of it was the product of good defense from Michigan.
Ohio State finished with 19 turnovers, and Michigan racked up 11 steals.
When the Wolverines started making shots from 3-point range in the second half, the defense held the Buckeyes in check. That allowed Michigan to pull away and turn a once-close game into a blowout.
Wesson made his first four shots of the game, including a 3-pointer. His presence down low forced Michigan to double team him, which left shooters open on the outside.
But Wesson quickly lost his rhythm.
He missed down low, got a second attempt blocked by Jon Teske and then missed another before committing a foul out of frustration.
Before that turning point, with 7:25 left in the first half, Wesson was 4 for 4 and had nine points. After: three points on 1-for-8 shooting.
It was a rough night for Ohio State's star center.
He had one would-be dunk blocked from behind by Jordan Poole.
In the second half, he tried to throw one down a dunk in transition _ only to have Simpson block it. Then he got into it with Simpson, creating a scrum between the teams that resulted in four technical fouls.
Wesson didn't play the rest of the game.
Poole hasn't shot the ball well recently.
In the previous two games, he was 3 for 12 from the field, and on Tuesday night he started the game 1 for 6.
Teams have started keying on Poole, making nearly every attempt is a difficult one. But on a night when both offenses struggled, Poole made enough key shots.
On one possession in the first half, he missed two 3s before hitting the third.
In the second half, he drew a charge before hitting a 3 on the other end.
Poole eventually led the team with 15 points. But he made important contributions in other areas, finishing with three steals and making a key block on Wesson.
