The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes visit Big Ten rival Michigan on Saturday night in a key conference battle.
When the teams tip off at Crisler Arena in college basketball betting action, the visitors led by Jared Sullinger will be a 5 to 6-point road favorite.
Michigan has won 15 straight at home but has lost 6 in a row to Ohio State. They have the motivation of rebounding from a bad loss at OSU in January where they blew a lead.
That was the only Michigan-Ohio State game in the past 7 meetings that the Wolverines failed to cover the spread.
View Ohio State vs Michigan Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had opened the Wolverines as 5-point underdogs on the Sportsbook line for this contest but was quickly bet to +5.5 at Sportsbook and other shops.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 126-ranked Wolverines and the No. 5-rated Buckeyes in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 84-72 win for the Buckeyes on Saturday.
How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Buckeyes rank No. 73 in NCAA Division 1 with 36.7 per game. That compares with Michigan’s No. 306 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Michigan is college basketball's No. 32-ranked team at 8.2 per game, while the Buckeyes rate No. 291 with 4.9 per game.
Defensively, Ohio State features the nation's No. 42-rated defense on the road, allowing 63.6 points per game. Michigan, meanwhile, comes in at No. 235 nationally in scoring at home.
Ohio State was a 78-68 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against Minnesota. They covered the 8-point spread as favorites. The Buckeyes grabbed a 78-68 win over the Golden Gophers on Tuesday, behind a 24-point effort from William Buford at Williams Arena.
Michigan won its last outing, a 70-61 result against Illinois on February 12. They covered in that game as a 5-point favorite. Michigan earned a 70-61 victory over Illinois on Sunday, getting 15 points from Tim Hardaway Jr. at Crisler Arena.
Ohio State Buckeyes Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing Illinois are 7-3
After playing Minnesota are 7-3
After a win are 7-3
Michigan Wolverines Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Northwestern are 6-4
After playing Illinois are 5-5
After a win are 5-5
A few Buckeyes at Wolverines trends to consider:
Ohio State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Ohio State's last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ohio State's last 7 games when playing on the road against Michigan
Ohio State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Michigan
Michigan is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Michigan's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Michigan's last 11 games
Michigan is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
Next up:
Ohio State home to Illinois, Tuesday, February 21
Michigan at Northwestern, Tuesday, February 21
