The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines are all set to meet again this Saturday in a huge semifinals matchup in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament. Who gets away with a win here? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines NCAA College Basketball Game on March 13, 2021
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)
When: Saturday, March 13, 2021, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes (odds) vs. Michigan Wolverines (odds) – view all 2020-21 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (odds)
Record: 19-8 Overall / 12-8 Conference
Ohio State is on a collision course with Michigan again. The Buckeyes have just made that date possible again after surviving the Purdue Boilermakers in the quarterfinals round on Friday with an 87-78 overtime win. Duane Washington Jr. led Ohio State with 20 points, while Kyle Young and EJ Liddell had 18 and 17 points, respectively. Washington and Liddell played well in the first meeting with Michigan this season, but the Buckeyes still lost, 92-87, at home back on Feb. 21. Washington exploded for 30 points, while Liddell chipped in 23. However, no other starter scored more than 6 points in that game for Ohio State, so the Buckeyes’ need for a third-wheel in the first five to lend support to Washington and Young will be further magnified in this semifinals matchup. Still, scoring nearly 90 points against Michigan’s defense is an encouraging sign for the Buckeyes, who were third in the Big Ten in the regular season with 76.0 points per game and fourth nationally with 122.1 points per 100 possessions.
Ohio State is 5-5 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (odds)
Record: 20-3 Overall / 14-3 Conference
Michigan got the job done on Friday, handily beating Mark Turgeon’s Maryland Terrapins, 79-66 to advance to the semifinals round of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament. Michigan’s efficient offense was too much for the Terps, as the Wolverines scored 1.25 points per possession, shot 55.3 percent from inside the arc, and went 10-of-22 (45.5%) from the 3-point area. And the Wolverines did all that despite Hunter Dickinson scoring just six points, as the freshman center let his teammates do the heavy lifting. Perhaps Dickinson was simply preserving his energy for a then-possible rematch against Ohio State. In Michigan’s February win over the Buckeyes, Dickinson scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and swatted away a couple of shots. His five offensive rebounds greatly helped Michigan in warding off the Buckeyes, who were shooting well in that game. Michigan can beat any team in a variety of ways, which is a big reason why the Wolverines are hard to deal with. The Wolverines can punish teams inside with Dickinson and win games by going berserk behind the arc. They also defend well. In fact, Michigan’s offense and defense are both top 5 in efficiency this season.
Michigan is 2-2 against the spread in its last four games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Michigan wins, 77-73.
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