A year ago, these two conference rivals met on the hardwood and the Wolverines walked away with the 64-57 victory at home in an upset. The teams are more balanced this time around, though Michigan will have to beat Ohio State on the road to repeat.
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HOW THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Ohio State offense is averaging only 70.9 PPG, well below Michigan’s 76.3 PPG mark.
With the Buckeyes a lackluster offensive club, the Wolverines’ defense is in good position as they’re holding the opposition to 66 PPG.
Over Michigan’s last two games, it’s shown the ability to win and cover the spread in two very different games. In their latest game, they beat Purdue by a 61-56 final count on the strength of their defense. The game prior, they handed Minnesota an 82-74 loss while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor.
In the game against Minnesota, Derrick Walton Jr. hung 26-points along with eight rebounds and seven assists. Walton is averaging 12 PPG and is also putting up strong assist and rebound numbers considering the guard stands just 6’1”.
Walton leads the team in most statistical categories, but even without him at the top of his game, the team can win evidenced by him scoring just six points in their victory over Purdue.
In that game against the Boilermakers, the Wolverines saw a return of Caris LeVert. The guard saw just 11 minutes on the court and failed to score, but he did record an assist and secured five rebounds.
Before his injury, LeVert was on top of his game, scoring at least 15 in five straight games. He’s averaging 16.5 PPG this season. If LeVert is fully healthy and able to shake off some of the rust, Michigan has a clear edge. With him and Walton, the backcourt is stacked. The guard depth goes even deeper than that with Duncan Robinson and Zak Irvin each averaging 11+ PPG.
HOW THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Buckeyes will try and exploit the fact the Wolverines are just 3-6 ATS in their last nine games and while the return of LeVert to the court is a huge emotional boast for Michigan, he’s got to prove he’s able to produce.
As for the Buckeyes themselves, they’ve won back-to-back games and have combined for 150 total points in those games as the offense is on a bit of an uptick.
Defensively, Ohio State is amongst the best, allowing just a 39.3 percent conversion rate from the field.
The Buckeyes also have the edge inside with forwards Marc Loving, Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate all scoring 11.5 PPG or more and posting at least five RPG.
While the Wolverines have plenty of talent on their roster, they’re quite shallow in the frontcourt. They have the upper hand at the guard position, though with JaQuan Lyle and Kam Williams that gap may not be as big as it appears.
Both Lyle and Williams are scoring at least eight points per game while Lyle leads the team with 116 assists and Williams is a key outside shooter, knocking down 48.8 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The size advantage for the Buckeyes has me a bit concerned, but the Wolverines topped a better Ohio State team last year.
Michigan should also be getting better and better as LeVert gets back into form and helps the team’s rotation, allowing the rest of the team to remain fresher.
Look for the Ohio State defense to reign in the Wolverines, but Michigan has the superior offense that will outscore the Buckeyes along with a respectable defense of their own to unleash upon OSU’s below average offensive attack.
Michigan 71, Ohio State 66
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes will start at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at the Value City Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
