COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There he was, smiling, twirling a basketball on his finger. Yes, those in Ohio State's sports media department knew what they were doing when they put Andrew Dakich on the cover of the program for Monday's home game against Michigan. This guy? He used to play for you. Now he plays for us.

As strange as it was to see Dakich in a Buckeye jersey on a magazine cover, watching him take the court against his former team was even more bizarre. He played 16 minutes in Ohio State's 71-62 win.

The fifth-year senior had spent the previous four seasons wearing maize and blue, playing for John Beilein and Michigan. Dakich graduated after redshirting last season and landed at rival Ohio State for his fifth and final season of college hoops.

He still watches Michigan's games and talks to some of their players regularly, though he said he hadn't talked to any Wolverines in the few days leading up to Monday's match-up.

That includes sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson, whom Dakich took under his wing last season in Ann Arbor. The two used to sit next to each on the Michigan bench, with Dakich sharing insights. Both played long stretches in the second half Monday, and Dakich often guarded Simpson.

"It was weird," Dakich said. "I have the most respect for him. I think he's going to be a really good and tough player for them."

Dakich said he texts Simpson advice after watching Michigan's games. The two used to guard each other in practice. On Monday, it happened in a nationally televised game that counted towards the Big Ten standings.

"He's one of the hardest workers I've seen," Dakich said of Simpson. "He played really well tonight. Even though he had a couple drives on me, it was good to see him be aggressive and I hope he continues to do that."

Dakich grabbed a rebound and handed out three assists against Michigan; he committed two fouls and didn't attempt a shot. Beilein turned to Simpson for defense, but the Ohio native had one of his better games offensively as well, knocking in 4-of-5 shots for 11 points to go along with four impressive rebounds.

Dakich is the third Michigan player in as many seasons to spend his fifth year at a different Big Ten program, following Max Bielfeldt (Indiana) and Spike Albrecht (Purdue). Before Michigan's game against Purdue last season, Beilein was asked about Albrecht's familiarity with U-M's tendencies. "That's always one of my concerns, in this league, about transferring within," Beilein said. He added: "I don't think Spike is going to tell him too much new. We change like the wind anyhow. We've changed a lot of our calls over time. Who knows what he can bring over."

Dakich said Ohio State's first-year head coach Chris Holtmann picked his brain "a little bit" in advance of Monday's game. "But their offense is hard to stop," Dakich said. "You saw that in the first half. They were shooting lights out. ... Even all the stuff I know, they have so many twists to (the offense). They have all these wrinkles."

Michigan got off to a great start Monday, leading by as many as 20 points in the first half. Ohio State switched every screen in the second half and Michigan's offense struggled to find a rhythm. The Wolverines only made five field goals in the second half.

Dakich left Value City Arena with a victory and 10 copies of the program with his face on it, left in his locker after the game. He said he has love for his former Michigan teammates and that Beilein gave him a hug after the game.

As for his U-M gear, none of it made it to Columbus. It stayed at his home in Indiana.

"I had to change my colors real quick, and they made me," Dakich said. "As they should. That's why sports are great. You've got to wear a certain color around here, so that's what I've got to wear right now."