INDIANAPOLIS -- No. 8 Michigan ended 15 years of Big Ten tournament frustration Saturday. Theres still some work to do before it can really celebrate. After blowing a 12-point second-half lead against its most bitter rival, Michigan closed the game with a 7-1 run and survived a potential tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds for its first tourney win over No. 24 Ohio State, 72-69. "We werent thinking about winning the Big Ten Conference championship, the tournament," Big Ten player of the year Nik Stauskas said. "We were thinking about just beating Ohio State. This is a rivalry game." For the Big Ten regular-season champs, it was a big moment. Michigan (25-7) hadnt won a semifinal game since 1998, when it won the inaugural tourney title only to vacate it because of NCAA rules violations. Since then, the Wolverines hadnt even won two straight games in the league tourney and had lost all six times it played the dreaded Buckeyes in Indianapolis or Chicago. Not this time. The top-seeded Wolverines started the game with an offensive flurry and ended it with a stout defensive stretch that ended with Buckeyes guard Aaron Craft losing control of the ball as he tried a 3-pointer that could have forced overtime. Instead, the Wolverines came up with the loose ball to eliminate the conferences defending tourney champion. Stauskas finished with 18 points. Ohio native Caris LeVert had 17 points and seven rebounds and Glenn Robinson III wound up with 11 points, including two free throws that gave Michigan the lead for good with 2:55 to play. The Wolverines won their seventh straight in large part because they were 12 of 23 on 3-pointers against the Big Tens top-rated 3-point defence and didnt allow a basket over the final four minutes. The only thing sweeter than beating the Buckeyes would be winning Sundays title game against No. 22 Michigan State. The Wolverines won both games against the third-seeded Spartans this season. Michigan State advanced with an 85-73 win over second-seeded Wisconsin in the second semifinal. "Those are the three best defensive teams in our league. Theyre just really difficult to score points on," coach John Beilein said, referring to the Badgers, Buckeyes and Spartans. But getting to Sunday wasnt easy, either. Michigan blew a 13-point lead in Fridays quarterfinal victory, surviving a scare from ninth-seeded Illinois when Jordan Morgans layup rolled in with 7.9 seconds to go and Illinois guard Tracy Abrams missed a driving layup at the buzzer. It was more of the same Saturday. Michigan led by as much as 16 in the first half and 12 in the second and still needed another late miscue to seal the win. Ohio State (25-9) was led by LaQuinton Ross with 19 points and Shannon Scott with 18, nearly pulling off a second stunning comeback in two days. After digging out of an 18-point deficit to beat Nebraska in Fridays quarterfinals, the Buckeyes wound up losing for only the third time in 10 games. "I feel like as a team when our heads underwater, we start fighting more," Scott said. "We started doing that again today." Ohio State, which struggled to open both halves, just couldnt finish this one off. Michigan opened the game with three straight 3s and led 15-2 after its opening flurry. The Buckeyes clawed back late in the half, getting within 41-37. But Ohio State gave up three more 3s to open the second half, allowing the Spartans to push the lead to 54-42 with 16:02 left. Again the Buckeyes rallied, using a 10-2 spurt that ended with Sam Thompsons alley-oop dunk, giving Ohio State its first lead at 61-60. Thats when last years national runner-up buckled down defensively. Michigan cut the Ohio State lead to 68-67 on an 18-foot jumper from Stauskas and regained the lead when Robinson made the two free throws. The Buckeyes couldnt get anything to go over the final four minutes, missing five straight shots and three of four free throws before Craft said the ball slipped out of his hands at the end. "I feel so fortunate right now," Beilein said. "You look at so many of our games down the stretch here, theyve ended just like this and the ball keeps bouncing our way. You only can have that type of luck if you have guys like these guys sitting next to me. They make enough smart plays to keep you in the game, and some games the ball will just bounce your way." Amir Coffey Jersey . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. Mfiondu Kabengele Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) – He had good saves on Giroux, Akeson, and Hartnell tonight. https://www.clipperslockerroom.com/Jamychal-Green-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Dallas (2-0-1) sits atop the Western Conference with an MLS-best seven points. Castillo opened the scoring in the 71st minute off a Mauro Diaz set piece, and Watson outran defender Tony Lochhead on a long ball and then juked goalkeeper Ian Kennedy for the eventual game-winner in the 78th minute. Ivica Zubac Clippers Jersey . -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime. Paul George Clippers Jersey . He says he will have the operation Wednesday and be ready in time for training camp in September. Bernier missed five games in March due to the injury.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eli Manning participated with the first-team offence Thursday at the New York Giants organized team activity, showing no signs of the ankle surgery he underwent nearly two months ago. "I feel like I can do almost anything football related," said Manning, who took most of the snaps during the workout. "Im not going to take any time off. This is the second day, and I want to see how its responding. There is no swelling, no discomfort, no issues. Im able to go about my business." Manning had ankle surgery in early April after enduring the worst season of his 10-year NFL career. He threw 27 interceptions with just 18 TDs and was sacked a career-high 39 times. The Giants finished 7-9. The ankle bothered Manning for most of the season and knocked him out of the final game against the Washington Redskins, the first time Manning went to the sideline because of an injury in his career. "My goal was always to be back for the OTAs," Manning said. "The doctors said that I needed seven weeks after surgery. They didnt tell me that I wouldnt be ready, but I had it in my mind that I should be ready. After three weeks, I knew I was feeling pretty good." The Giants are installing a new version of the West Coast offence under the guidance of new offensive co-ordinator Ben McAdoo. "It has been a learning experience for me and for everyone, learning the new offence," Manning said. "I like it. Everything about it makes sense. Weve made some good plays over the last two days. Its still the early stages, but I like where were headed." Giants coach Tom Coughlin isnt surprised by Mannings progress. "When he first started, we tried to slow him down," Coughlin said. "But he wants to go. We thought the progress would be slow, but hes so far ahead. There may be a day where hes a little sore, but he hasnt shown it yet. " Manning believes that he made the right decision having the surgery. "It feels a lot better than it did," Manning said. "Its why we went ahead and hhad the surgery.dddddddddddd Theres no discomfort. Im running and doing drills. I dont want to have to worry about the ankle. I thought I might miss some time, but I didnt want to. "After a while, I was able to do certain things without pain. After three weeks, I was able to do about 15 to 20 drops and I felt good. I thought I could be here. I wanted to be smart and not rush it if I wasnt ready. The goal now is not to have any setbacks. Ill continue to monitor it, rehab it. I still have some work to do." Hes not the only Giant player making a comeback from surgery. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul spent the off-season rehabbing a shoulder injury after back surgery last June. Having lost 20 pounds down to 275, Pierre-Paul feels fit and ready to return to his All-Pro status. "I feel great," said Pierre-Paul, who had only two sacks in 11 games last season. "Nothing is bothering me. Its all behind me. I know I wasnt at 100 per cent last year. Its a new season, a team with a lot of new faces. Im ready to go out there and show everyone what I can do." Running back David Wilson had neck surgery after the first-round pick out of West Virginia played five games in 2013, collecting only 146 yards. Doctors said at the time that his surgery was possibly career-threatening. "The doctors are worried about me bumping into someone or falling down," said Wilson, who is still prohibited from enduring any contact until his next MRI on Wednesday. "I feel great, but its out of my hands. I just have to rest." Wilson participated in some light drills Thursday. "Hes out there running and hes looking good," Coughlin said of Wilson. Safety Stevie Brown, who had left knee surgery last fall after tearing it in preseason, wore no brace. "One of the first things I did when I first started rehab was not having to rely on any brace," said Brown, who was second in the NFL in interceptions with eight in 2012, before missing all of last season. "I did things slowly without a brace." ' ' ' ' '