The No. 23 Ohio State Buckeyes will face Michigan at 12:30 pm ET on FOX. This will be the final regular-season game for the Buckeyes, with a double-bye still up for grabs.

Buckeye Recap:

The Buckeyes are 19-9 on the year and are currently tied for 4^th in the conference at 12-7. However, Iowa holds the tiebreaker after defeating the Buckeyes in their only meeting. Thus, an Ohio State win and an Iowa loss to Illinois is the only path to securing the 4^th seed and double-bye.

This past Thursday, the Buckeyes were able to bounce back from the Maryland and Nebraska losses to defeat Michigan State. They were led in scoring by Malaki Branham with 22 points and 2 steals. However, the real star was Joey Brunk, drawing only his 3^rd start of the season due to the absence of Kyle Young and Zed Key. Brunk gave the Buckeyes 18 points and six rebounds, a much-needed boost for a shorthanded team. EJ Liddell also added 19 points and Jamari Wheeler another 18 of his own. Overall, the starting rotation scored 77 of the 80 total points on the way to an 11-point win.

Who is Michigan?:

The Michigan Wolverines enter the contest with a record of 16-13. They have gone 2-2 over the last four during the suspension of head coach Juwan Howard. Most recently, they suffered an 11-point loss to Iowa which all but sealed their fate for post-season hopes. Michigan’s only shot at this point would be stringing together some wins in the conference tournament and receiving an NIT bid.

It is no secret that the Michigan offense runs through sophomore center Hunter Dickinson. He averages 18.4 points per game to along with 8.5 rebounds, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. He was held in check by the Buckeyes in their previous meeting, only scoring 14 in the loss. Other key offensive contributors for the Wolverines are DeVante’ Jones and Eli Brooks who both average double digits. Forwards Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan are also guys that have shown some offensive potency for the Wolverines, although both struggled against the Buckeyes.

What to expect:

For Michigan this game is more about pride and spoiling Ohio State’s season than boosting their own. The Buckeyes were able to stifle their stars in Ann Arbor and hand them a loss, so they’ll certainly be looking to return the favor. As the Buckeyes will most likely remain without Key and Young, look for Michigan to be even more aggressive with Dickinson. The offense is going to run through the post as Michigan looks to attack Brunk.

For the Buckeyes, this is a must-win if they want to even have a chance at the double-bye. Which in Holtmann’s own words is very important towards a chance at winning the tournament. The Buckeyes still must overcome their late-season fatigue and the likely absence of Young and Key. If the Buckeyes are going to handle business, Wheeler and Brunk must again be major contributors and allow the offense to come easily to Branham and Liddell. The game plan for the Buckeyes won’t change much from Thursday’s game, knock down deep shots, take care of the basketball and make offense tough for your opponent.

Injury News:

-Zed Key: game-time decision with ankle injury

-Kyle Young: out with concussion symptoms

Prediction:

Ohio State is a 4.5 point favorite at home. This will no doubt be another Big Ten battle for the Buckeyes as so much hangs in the balance. Not only is this a rivalry game, but it is the final and most important game of Ohio State’s regular season. I think we see the same team show up that we saw Thursday, to get the job done.

Gabe’s Guess: 75-68- Ohio State

How to watch:

Catch all the action at 12:30 pm ET on FOX

Featured Image: AP Photo