Ohio State vs. Michigan Preview
Ann Arbor, MI (AP) – Staying unbeaten hasn’t proved easy for Ohio State in its most recent Big Ten games.
The second-ranked Buckeyes could have another tough time keeping their perfect record intact Wednesday when they visit Michigan, which nearly pulled off a major upset at Crisler Arena last weekend.
Current college basketball odds and oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made Ohio State 10-point spread favorites for Wednesday’s game against Michigan. Current college basketball public betting information shows that 66% of more than 167 bets for this game have been placed on Ohio State -10.
Ohio State (16-0, 3-0) held an 18-point lead with 8:31 remaining Sunday at home against Minnesota but had to fend off a late rally for a 67-64 win. William Buford partially blocked Austin Hollins’ 3-point attempt to finish a game that featured a combined 42 fouls, and Golden Gophers coach Tubby Smith felt Buford got away with one on the final play.
“It got a little hectic,” said senior swingman David Lighty, who scored a team-best 19 points while participating in a school-record 111th career victory. “We just have to keep our heads. Things didn’t go our way, but we stuck in there and found a way to win.”
That game followed a 73-68 win at Iowa on Jan. 4 in which the Buckeyes rallied from a halftime deficit then nearly blew a 13-point lead.
“Playing in the Big Ten is tough every game,” freshman forward Jared Sullinger said.
Ohio State could have another tough game against the Wolverines, who took No. 3 Kansas to overtime Sunday before falling 67-60 at home.
Michigan (11-5, 1-2) scored a season-low 18 points in the first half and trailed by 13 in the second half before rallying to force the extra period. The Wolverines took a brief lead in overtime on Zack Novak’s 3-pointer but were outscored 16-9 over those 5 minutes.
Freshman guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored a team-best 19 points, refused to take any solace in the close defeat to a highly ranked team.
“We can’t let people pat us on the back about this,” he said. “We have to keep a chip on our shoulder.”
Michigan is 10-2 at home and upset then-No. 15 Ohio State there 73-64 last season. The Buckeyes claimed a 66-55 victory at home Feb. 27 and won 69-68 on March 12 en route to the Big Ten tournament title.
Buford scored 24 points during the win in Columbus and averaged 18.3 over the three matchups.
The Wolverines have dropped 10 straight to Top 25 opponents and four in a row in Ann Arbor, falling 80-57 to then-No. 12 Purdue on Dec. 28.
Ohio State has won 11 of 13 meetings with its rival but dropped two of three at Crisler Arena. A win there Wednesday would enable the Buckeyes to match their third-best start in school history.
They were 17-0 in 1990-91 and posted their best start (27-0) in 1960-61 en route to the second of three straight NCAA title game appearances. The Buckeyes went 22-0 to open the next season.
Ohio State leads the series 87-71 but is 35-44 in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes are 29-4 against the Wolverines when ranked and have won 12 of 13 such matchups.
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