The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines add another chapter to their heated rivalry on Saturday as they face off in the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
Michigan entered the tourney as the No. 1 seed and college basketball betting lines opened with the Wolverines as 6-point favorites for this contest, which will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Here are our best free Ohio State vs. Michigan picks and predictions for Saturday, March 13, with tipoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Ohio State vs Michigan odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonMichigan opened as a 6-point favorite Friday evening at FanDuel, the number ticked up to -6.5 for a couple of hours this morning, then returned to the opener. As of 11:30 a.m. ET, it’s two-way action with a very slight lean toward the Wolverines, who are taking 53 percent of bets and 51 percent of money on the spread. The total opened at 146.5 and dropped as low as 142 – in part due to injury issues for both teams – and it’s now 142.5, although ticket count and money are both running 4/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameOhio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines betting preview
Injuries
Ohio State: Kyle Young F (Out), Jimmy Sotos G (Out).
Michigan: Isaiah Livers F (Out)
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Wolverines are 11-3 to the Under in their last 14 games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Ohio State vs. Michigan.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Wolverines are coming off a 79-66 win over Maryland on Friday afternoon. Michigan trailed by 12 points with five minutes left in the opening half but went on a 16-2 run to take a lead into the break. Then the Wolverines pulled away in the second half, with the highlight being head coach Juwan Howard's ejection after a confrontation with his Maryland counterpart Mark Turgeon.
Ohio State had a roller-coaster game of its own against Purdue. The Buckeyes had a 49-31 lead but saw that evaporate in the second half after going scoreless for eight minutes. The Boilermakers ended up sending the game into overtime where the Buckeyes shooters woke up from their nap and took control to finally win 87-78.
Ohio State shoots a solid 46.2 percent from the field while holding foes to a 42.5 field goal percentage. But the Wolverines are second in the Big Ten (14th in the country) with a field goal percentage of 48.8 while holding opponents to a conference-best 39 percent shooting from the field.
While Michigan is better on both ends of the floor there is reason to think they might have a difficult time covering the 6-point spread today. When these rivals met up less than three weeks ago it was a close battle with the Wolverines winning 92-87.
But the biggest factor that has us considering Ohio State is the confirmation of rumors that Michigan forward Isaiah Livers will be out indefinitely with a foot injury. Livers was a second team All-Big Ten selection this season and has been a crucial piece for the Wolverines on both ends of the floor. Jump on Ohio State at +6 before this line moves.
PREDICTION: Ohio State +6 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
These teams combined for a whopping 179 points when they met up last month, but we don't see another shootout happening on Saturday.
The Wolverines are extremely efficient on the offensive end of the floor but they average a modest 73.6 points per game in conference play. A big reason for that is the methodical pace they play at, ranking 250th in the country in adjusted tempo according to KenPom.
That slow and steady pace does lead to some terrific numbers on defense, with the Wolverines holding foes to a conference-best 64 ppg in Big Ten play.
The Buckeyes are very good on offense thanks to forward E.J. Liddell and guard Duane Washington Jr., who both average over 15 ppg. But they're also tough on defense and prefer to play at a slower pace. With Michigan 11-3 to the Under in its last 14 games, back the Under again.
PREDICTION: Under 146.5 (-110)
Ohio State vs Michigan betting card
- Ohio State +6 (-110)
- Under 146.5 (-110)
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