NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Cinderallas again, but this time Ohio did it with defense.

The Bobcats held Michigan scoreless the final four minutes and finally got steal and two Walter Offutt free throws with six seconds left to clinch its second NCAA Tournament upset victory in the last three years, with the No. 13 Bobcats knocking off the No. 4 Wolverines, 65-60, on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

Two years ago, a huge shooting night helped Ohio shock Georgetown, 97-83.

Michigan (24-10) missed four potential game-tying 3-pointers down the stretch and D.J. Cooper continued to be a big time player in big time games, scoring 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting and dished out five assists.

“It was fitting we had to rely on our defense a couple times there to get stops to win,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “It’s been our calling card all year.”

A huge first half run put Ohio (28-7) in control, and although Michigan made pushes in the second half, the Bobcats held on.

Trey Burke scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and had five assists, but he finished just 5 of 15. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points, but again, he was only 5 of 14 from the field. Michigan finished 22 of 54 (40.7 percent), making just 7 of 23 (30.4 percent) of its 3-pointers. Evan Smotrycz kept the Wolverines in it with a 6-of-7 performance for 15 points off the bench.

“It seemed like we were waiting for the game to come to us, waiting to take the lead, waiting for them to give us the lead,” Burke said. “That didn’t happen.”

Offutt finished with 11 points and Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely scored 10 each as the Bobcats shot 51.2 percent from the field.

Ohio led by as many as 13 in the first half and went on top by nine with 8:11 remaining on a Keely layup. Michigan, though, came right back with six points in a row to make it tight down the stretch.

Burke scored his team’s eighth straight point on a 3-pointer at the 5:40 mark to get the Wolverines within three, 60-57. After three Bobcats point in a row, Burke drained another trey with 4:12 remaining, making it 63-60. Michigan, though, did not score again.

Two straight misses on Ohio’s ensuing possession gave Michigan a chance to cut further into its deficit, but Smotrycz was blocked by Offutt in the post. Zack Novak missed a 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining, and after a turnover, Burke missed once and then again after getting another possession a ball that replay showed went off of Michigan.

After the second miss, though, the Wolverines still maintained possession after the rebound went out of bounds, but the Bobcats blew up their opponent’s last-ditch effort to tie, with Offutt picking Smotrycz’s pocket to finally seal the upset.

“It was more of a team effort,” Offutt said. “We were trying to limit their 3-point shot and Smotrycz was trying to get one up. … I think T.J. Hall tipped it and I was fortunate to come up with the steal.”

Despite a 7-0 Michigan run to close the first half, Ohio still took a 35-29 lead to the locker room, using an 11-0 run of its own to blow open a 35-22 advantage late in the first half.

After an Offutt jumper, Nick Kellogg knocked down a 3-pointer. Later, Cooper was fouled in the corner and knocked down all three free throws to open up a double digit lead. Another Kellogg triple at the 2:49 mark put the Bobcats up 13.

“They threw the first punch and we never got over it,” Smotrycz said.

With a chance for Ohio to add to its lead, a turnover led to a Burke dunk on the other end and Hardaway Jr. connected from deep. Smotrycz scored on a tip-in that made it a six-point game at the half.

The Bobcats opened by scoring the game’s first five points and trailed on only a few occasions in the first half.

Hardaway Jr. connected on a 3-pointer that gave Michigan its first lead, 9-7, but Ohio got six in a row, going up 15-11 on a Cooper layup.

A pair of Jordan Morgan free throws midway through the first half gave the Wolverines an 18-17 lead, but a Baltic jumper later put Ohio on top for good, 22-20, with 8:16 left in the half.

Smotrycz connected on a 3-pointer with 14:56 left in the game, getting Michigan within two, and he hit another with 12:59 remaining that made it 48-45, but Offutt answered both of those shots with baskets of his own. T.J. Hall’s only basket, a 3-pointer from the corner, put the Bobcats up 53-45 with 11:11 to go.

Keely scored four straight Ohio points, with two free throws at the 8:11 mark making it 59-50.

Ohio finished 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range and went 15 of 17 (88.2 percent) at the foul line. Michigan was 9 of 11 (81.8 percent) on its free throw tries.

In addition to Burke’s and Hardaway Jr.’s struggles, Michigan had to deal with tough nights from its two seniors. Novak was 1 of 6, while Stu Douglass made just 2 of 7 shots.

“To be honest with you, throughout the course of 40 minutes, I don’t know that we busted a coverage one time,” Groce said. “They made shots, but we knew what we were doing. We communicated it well and I’m just thankful that our kids bought into the game plan.”

The Bobcats actually committed more turnovers, 13-11, and won despite giving up 11 offensive rebounds while pulling down just four of their own.

Ohio advances to the third round to play the winner of the second game of the night between No. 5 Temple and No. 12 South Florida.

In 2010, after knocking off Georgetown, Ohio was eliminated in the next round against Tennessee.

“I thought last time around, we ran out of gas and certainly Tennessee had a lot to do with that,” Groce said. “They were a really good team. We have to get our rest now. We have to eat, hydrate, take care of our bodies and minds, and I'm one of those guys that believes this time of year, Tim, that that's as or more important than Xs and Os. I know our staff will have our kids ready to play.”