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Buckeyes roll into Ann Arbor as 2.5-point underdogs

No. 16 Ohio State will attempt to split this week’s road games after their loss to Rutgers.

Photo courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com

After flinching big time in the final three minutes of their 66-64 loss at Rutgers this week, Ohio State (14-6, 7-4) will try to pick up a Quad-1 win tonight when they tussle with the Michigan Wolverines (13-9, 7-5) at Crisler Arena. The Buckeyes are 3-5 in true road games this season — in addition to their loss at Rutgers, they have also lost at Purdue, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Xavier.

Tonight’s game tips off at 6:00 p.m. ET and is Ohio State’s fourth ESPN game of the season. The Buckeyes are currently 2.5-point underdogs according to DraftKings Sportsbook, and are 2-4 this season when Vegas picks against them. Currently, the moneyline for Michigan is -135 while it sits at +115 for the Buckeyes. Total points sits at 140.5 for tonight’s B1G rumble.

Michigan has been shaky all season long, but appears to have turned a corner recently. During their nonconference slate they were pulverized by Arizona and North Carolina, while also losing to UCF (KenPom No. 98) and Seton Hall, who Ohio State beat on a buzzer-beater shortly thereafter.

After a 1-3 start in conference play that included an embarrassing loss at home to Minnesota, the reigning Big Ten champions have won six of their last eight games, including a 24-point blowout of No. 3 Purdue just two nights ago. Juwan Howard’s squad knocked down 57% of their three-pointers and each starter scored in double-digits. On the season, Michigan is a 36% three-point shooting team.

Now five years into his tenure at Ohio State, Chris Holtmann knows the OSU-Michigan basketball rivalry isn’t quite as toxic as football, but he still has no interest in losing to TTUN.

Last season, the Wolverines won the lone regular-season matchup between the two teams, 92-87 in Columbus on Feb. 21, 2021. The Buckeyes got revenge in the Big Ten Tournament, dispatching the top-seeded Wolverines 68-67 in the BTT semifinals.

What say you? Can the Buckeyes buck their road woes and knock off the defending Big Ten champs?