The No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes remain on the road for a matchup with their rivals, the Michigan Wolverines. Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm ET, live from the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on ESPN.
Buckeye Recap:
The Buckeyes now sit at 14-6, good for fifth in the conference with a 7-4 record, after suffering a road loss to Rutgers on Wednesday. Ohio State and Rutgers traded leads for most of this game, with Rutgers taking a 1-point advantage into the half. This back-and-forth play continued into the second half as well with neither team pulling away by more than five points, that is until Ohio State would jump out to a 64-56 advantage with 3:48 remaining. The Buckeyes had the ball with a chance to extend to double digits, but a Scarlet Knight’s steal led to a bucket on the other end and an extreme shift in momentum. For the Scarlet Knights, a 10-0 run to end the game would be enough to knock off another ranked opponent in the RAC.
The Buckeyes were led in scoring by Malachi Branham with 19 points, EJ Liddell also added 16 points and 4 assists, and Zed Key would tally a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Ultimately, sloppy ball-handling, poor offensive sets, and mismanagement of the clock would be the demise of the Buckeyes who failed to score in the final 3:48. The Buckeyes had a chance to take the lead on a Justin Ahrens three in the final seconds, but it was ultimately blocked by Rutgers, a summation of the late-game debacle.
Who is Michigan?:
The Michigan Wolverines enter the contest with a record of 13-9, 7th in conference play, but have some momentum following a one-point win over Penn State and a 24-point thrashing of #3 Purdue in Ann Arbor. An AP Top 10 team to start the season, the Wolverines haven’t necessarily lived up to the hype, with inconsistent play and difficult losses.
It is no secret that the Michigan offense runs through Sophomore Center Hunter Dickinson. He averages 18.3 points per game along with 8.3 rebounds, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. He has been battling a bit of an injury, however, it had no effect on his play in the upset of #3 Purdue when he notched 22 points. Other key offensive contributors for the Wolverines are DeVante’ Jones and Eli Brooks who add just over 12 points per game themselves.
What to expect:
The Buckeyes will look to avoid dropping a second straight game but will be faced with a tall task as they roll into Ann Arbor. It has been made clear that Holtmann has a lot of trust in Malachi Branham to go get buckets and operate efficiently on the offensive end. Branham’s play along with that of EJ Liddell will most likely determine the outcome of this game.
However, the offense isn’t the only challenge the Buckeyes must navigate as dealing with Hunter Dickinson will be equally as important. For an undersized Buckeyes team, rotating guys in the low post as well as using double teams to try and slow Dickinson down will be key.
Michigan looks to keep the ball rolling after their momentous win over Purdue. Forcing Buckeyes other than Liddell and Branham to score will be the task of the Michigan defense. On the offensive end, they will most likely attack the paint, letting their offense run freely through Dickinson. Exploiting Ohio State’s size deficiency on both ends will be their goal, especially since Ohio State has shown they force the ball down low when the offense is struggling.
Injury News:
-Eugene Brown is a game-time decision due to a toe injury that kept him out of the contest with Maryland and Rutgers
-Meechie Johnson is also a game-time decision with an ankle injury that popped up this week
Prediction:
Ohio State is a 2.5 point underdog on the road. They catch a Michigan team coming off a huge win after they themselves just suffered an incredibly tough loss, certainly not the storyline they’d like. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Buckeyes fairing well in Ann Arbor, especially against a team with tons of momentum and a dominant center
Gabe’s Guess: 75-66, Michigan
How to watch:
Catch all the action at 6:00 pm ET on ESPN
Featured Image: AP Photo
Gabe Woodcox is a content contributor for The Silver Bulletin. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of The Ohio State University with a major of Sport Industry. Gabe has been working closely with Ohio State athletics during his sport industry tenure, writing for BuckeyesNews and working most recently with 97.1 The Fan. He is an avid Buckeye basketball and sports betting fanatic and will continue his education in a Turf Management Masters program next fall.