Michigan and Ohio State did not meet on the football field in 2020, while the Wolverines battled the problems of COVID-19, but the only basketball match scheduled for rivals on Sunday at CBS is set to make up for the canceled football clash. No. 3 Wolverines and No. 4 Buckeyes are both in the mix for No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament and have been especially hot recently.
Michigan (15-1, 10-1 Big Ten) has won four consecutive wins overall, including two in a row since returning last Sunday from a 23-day break between games. Ohio State (18-4, 12-4) has won seven straight wins, however, and can still compete for the league title with a win over the Wolverines. This will be the 16th time that these teams have faced each other when they are classified, but it will be the best combined classification of all time for a game in the series.
Unlike football, a regular season game cannot make or break a basketball season, and both teams are heading for great seeds from the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what happens on Sunday. But this clash between the top five between rivals can take a look at who is most likely to make a deep postseason, and it must be one of the best games this season in the ultra-competitive Big Ten.
Viewing information
- When: Saturday, 1 pm ET
- Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio
- TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (free)
- OTT: CBS Sports app (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
Storylines
Michigan: Michigan is limiting opponents to 32% of 3 point shots in Big Ten games, which is the second best mark of the conference. The Wolverines’ 39.2% 3-point mark in league games is second in the conference. In short, the Wolverines are winning the battle beyond the bow. But they are also lethal in painting, where center-back Hunter Dickinson, 7-1, is trying to be the freshman of the year in the league and is the team’s top scorer with 14.6 points per game. But he has a lot of help with Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner, who are versatile strikers with good size and skill scores at various points.
Ohio State: EJ Liddell has been a monster recently, averaging 18.1 points per game during the Buckeyes’ seven-game winning streak. The striker of the second year of 6-7 is slightly smaller than normal, but he is a good kick blocker and one of the most improved players in the country. While their internal game is responsible for a good part of the team’s recent success, the Buckeyes also took second place at 3 points per game at 8.6 during the league game. In short, this is an elite offensive team. If there is a doubt for the state of Ohio to address its internal defense. Nobody over the age of 6-8 is part of the regular rotation, and that means defending Dickinson can be a challenge.
Game preview, choose
Most recent odds:
Ohio State Buckeyes +1.5
The Buckeyes are the real deal, but Michigan is the best team they will have played this season. The Wolverines have lost nothing since their long layoff and have the length and athleticism to be the first team since Purdue on January 19 to hold Ohio State with less than 70 points. Prediction: Michigan 75, Ohio State 68 (MICH +1.5)
So, who wins all the college basketball games today? And which underdogs cause impressive surprises? Visit SportsLine now to get choices for each game, all from the unbiased model that simulates each game 10,000 times, and find out.