The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs has Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Ohio State is set to travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sunday afternoon as the Buckeyes will try to avoid dropping back-to-back games for the first time since November.
The Buckeyes were thoroughly dominated in State College, Pa. by Penn State on Thursday, trailing by as many as 30 to the Nittany Lions, who outplayed Ohio State on both ends of the floor for the vast majority of game.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| #22 Michigan (21-7, 10-5) | Crisler Center | 1 p.m. | CBS |
Despite the loss, the Buckeyes still control their own destiny for a share of the Big Ten title and the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament. In order to maintain its grip on the league lead, Ohio State needs to get back in the win column in hostile territory, as Michigan plans a 'Maize Out' for its Senior Day.
The Wolverines have won four of their last five games, including a 74-59 thumping of Iowa in their most recent outing. Michigan has won 14 of its 15 home games this season, the lone loss coming to Purdue by a one-point margin, 70-69, on Jan. 9.
In the first meeting between the two schools this season in Columbus on Dec. 4, Ohio State came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat the Wolverines, 71-62.
Opponent Breakdown
The Wolverines have been led for most of the season by big man Moritz Wagner, their versatile big man who has had tremendous success playing both inside and on the permitter this season.
Wagner is connecting on 53.3 percent of his shots this season while also converting on nearly 40 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line (39.8 percent). He also ranks eighth in the Big Ten in rebounding, pulling down 7.3 boards per game.
| Player | Pos | HT | WT | Min | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MORITZ WAGNER | F | 6-11 | 245 | 27.9 | 14.6 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| CHARLES MATTHEWS | G | 6-6 | 200 | 30.0 | 13.8 | 5.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN | G | 6-4 | 190 | 35.0 | 11.7 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| DUNCAN ROBINSON | F | 6-8 | 215 | 25.3 | 9.3 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| ZAVIER SIMPSON | G | 6-0 | 185 | 24.1 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
In recent games, the Wolverines have shot lights out from behind the three-point line, led by forward Duncan Robinson. Robinson has converted on 10-of-15 shots from long range in his last two games, pouring in 18 points against Iowa. Against Ohio State in the first meeting between the two rivals, Robinson scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Since the last meeting against Ohio State, Michigan has slightly tweaked its starting lineup. Zavier Simpson is now in the starting point guard role, a job that was held by Eli Brooks. Brooks, however, has not played in the Wolverines' last two games.
Getting increased minutes for Michigan has been Ohio University transfer and Dayton native Jaaron Simmons. The 6-foot-1 guard contributed five points, four assists and two rebounds in 12 minutes against Iowa.
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State takes to the road to play in a hostile environment for the third time in four games. The Buckeyes' loss to Penn State on Thursday was their first on the road, but as mentioned previously, the Wolverines have lost just once at home all season.
Against the Nittany Lions, Ohio State struggled to get off to a hot start offensively, as Penn State jumped out to a 24-10 lead with under 10 minutes to play in the first half. While there has been no indication of a change, Chris Holtmann could be forced to give Kam Williams more minutes in order to give the Buckeyes a better chance of finding the bottom of the net.
The senior missed games against Illinois, Purdue and Iowa due to a violation of team rules, but returned to the team for the game against Penn State. He scored just two points, but his replacement in the starting lineup during his suspension, Andre Wesson, didn't fare much better against the Nittany Lions, scoring three points on as many shots. Wesson does, however, give Ohio State more length and versatility on defense.
Sunday's trip to the Crisler Center will be the first for Andrew Dakich since his own Senior Day a year ago. Dakich played sparingly in his time with the Wolverines, and went scoreless in 16 minutes of action in his first game against his former team, but did dish out three assists.
Dakich will likely need to facilitate more against his former team than he did against Penn State, in which he played 22 scoreless minutes, dished out two assists and committed a turnover.
One player that could see extended minutes against Michigan could be Kyle Young, who was one of the bright spots for Ohio State against the Nittany Lions. He scored four points and corralled a pair of boards in 10 minutes of action off the bench on Thursday and had his best game of the season against Michigan the first time around, scoring six points and pulling down four boards in the win.
How It Plays Out
The Wolverines have been a completely different team at home than they have on the road this season, playing Purdue to the final seconds and picking up five double-digit victories in conference play.
Ohio State, on the other hand, is coming off of its least inspiring performance of the season, and faces question marks surrounding its ability to guard teams with higher levels of athleticism on the wing. The Buckeyes do, however, have Keita Bates-Diop, who has continued to rebound from poor performances all season. After scoring just 13 against Indiana on Jan. 30, Bates-Diop responded with 35 against Illinois in his next outing.
Holtmann's team has shown resiliency all season, and with its Big Ten title hopes on the line, the Buckeyes should play a more inspired brand of basketball in Ann Arbor.
Prediction: Ohio State 70, Michigan 68
