Bitter rivals across all sports, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines will renew their ties for the first time on the hardwood in 2016 on Tuesday night in a game the Bucks must feel like they have to win if they want to keep their chances alive to dance.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
Live bettors have to be aware that this is a bad scheduling spot for the Wolverines. They're going on the road into a hostile environment against a team which is 9-5-1 ATS at home and has claimed some of their biggest wins of the year in this building. Furthermore, Michigan is coming off of a win over Purdue, and it would be easy to both rest on the laurels of that victory and get caught looking ahead to this weekend's road test at Maryland.
This is about as tough of a spot as it gets in college basketball, and the Buckeyes absolutely must take advantage of the Wolverines if they either come out flat or start to run out of gas in the second half, both of which are distinct possibilities live bettors should be looking for.
KEY MATCHUP
Caris LeVert is the interesting man to watch in this game. He's been out of the lineup for over a month with a leg injury, but he's officially back in the saddle. The senior only played 11 minutes against Purdue off the bench, but it was great to see him back on the court even though he didn’t score a single point.
LeVert is averaging 16.5 points, 5.3 boards and 4.9 assists per game, even after his dud of a showing against the Boilermakers, and you can bet that he's going to have to play a key role if Michigan is going to do anything for live bettors in this one. Derrick Walton Jr. is all fine and dandy, but he isn't winning this game all by himself like he basically did against Purdue when he scored 22 points. There's a big difference between playing at home in a huge spot and playing on the road in an equally huge spot for the road team, and LeVert could be the great equalizer if he plays up to his abilities in his second game back from his leg troubles.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
It's also worth remembering for live bettors that this is just Michigan's second legit road game since January 23. The Wolverines were blessed with a great schedule in the middle of the Big Ten season to help make up for the LeVert absence, and the one road game at Minnesota was really no hassle considering how bad the Golden Gophers are.
Ohio State might be 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS here at home in conference play, but it's worth remembering that its best win was against Northwestern in that bunch. Wins over Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois and Minnesota don't move the dial all that much, and that's why the Buckeyes badly need a win like this against a team which is very likely to get into the NCAA Tournament to bolster their own chances at dancing.
Live bettors should also keep an eye on Marc Loving. Ohio State's top scorer was held without a point against Rutgers over the weekend, the first time he was kept scoreless since last March in a loss to Wisconsin. The Buckeyes aren't strong enough offensively around Loving to be able to overcome a game in which he doesn't make more than three or four shots from the floor, especially against a team of this caliber.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes will go down Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Value City Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN.
