The Michigan Wolverines will head to Columbus on Sunday to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second meeting between these two rivals on the hardwood this season. When these two met in late January Ohio State kept things close early, and even took a six-point lead early in the second half. However, Michigan’s offense was too much to handle down the stretch, as the Wolverines pulled away for a 12-point victory.
Michigan had four players score in double figures in that game, led by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 18 points. The Buckeyes were led by John Mobley Jr., who put up 22 points on a 9-for-16 shooting performance from the field. Both teams are coming into Sunday’s matchup off of blowout wins, but they have experienced very different seasons.
Michigan (21-1, 11-1) has been one of the best teams in the country and a legitimate national title contender all season. Dusty May's team really took off in late-November during a dominant run at the Players Era Tournament. While Yaxel Lendeborg may be the headline name for the Wolverines, this is a deep, well-balanced team where multiple players can take over on any given night. In particular, Elliot Cadeau and Aday Mara have been major difference-makers in more role players positions throughout the season. While this team hasn’t looked quite as dominant as it did during that impressive early-season stretch, the Wolverines have continued to play winning basketball. Their lone loss came on January 10 against Wisconsin, and they are coming off an impressive week with two victories over top-10 opponents in Nebraska and Michigan State.
Ohio State (15-7, 7-5) has hovered around the bubble all season, winning the games they should but unable to pick up a signature victory over a highly ranked opponent that would really bolster their resume. At the moment, the Buckeyes’ best win is against UCLA, though they have come close a few times with a one-point loss to North Carolina and a three-point loss to Nebraska. While Ohio State sits in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes do have a solid core trio in Bruce Thornton, Devin Royal, and John Mobley Jr. The challenge has been putting it all together on the same night and getting consistent contributions from the supporting cast. For a team in Ohio State’s position, every game is important at this point in the season, as Jake Diebler looks to get the Buckeyes back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
Michigan vs. Ohio State: When and Where
Date: Sunday, February 8, 2026 (1:00 pm ET)
Location: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
Michigan vs. Ohio State: Where to Watch or Stream
TV: CBS
Streaming: FuboTV
Michigan vs. Ohio State: Betting Odds
Spread:
- Michigan -9.5 (-105)
- Ohio State +9.5 (-115)
Moneyline:
- Michigan (-520)
- Ohio State (+385)
Total:
- 159.5 (over -115/under -105)
Projected Starting Lineups
Michigan Wolverines
- Elliot Cadeau (10.3 ppg)
- Nimari Burnett (9.3 ppg)
- Yaxel Lendeborg (14.3 ppg)
- Morez Johnson Jr. (13.7 ppg)
- Aday Mara (10.8 ppg)
Ohio State Buckeyes
- Bruce Thornton (19.4 ppg)
- John Mobley Jr. (15.7 ppg)
- Devin Royal (13.7 ppg)
- Amare Bynum (9.3 ppg)
- Christoph Tilly (12.0 ppg)
This matchup between two Big Ten rivals is the perfect appetizer to the main event on Super Bowl Sunday. Michigan has been one of the best teams in college basketball all season, and a road win in Columbus would be another step toward a Big Ten title. The Wolverines have been elite defensively throughout the year, while Ohio State has been hot offensively as of late averaging 82.6ppg over its last three games. I’d expect Michigan to lean on its frontcourt, with Lendeborg, Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr. to go at an Ohio State team that is weaker down low.
On the other side, this game marks the beginning of a challenging but critical stretch for Ohio State as it relates to their NCAA Tournament hopes. It is the perfect opportunity for the Buckeyes to pick up that big signature win they’ve been searching for, and the setting couldn’t be better with the game at home, on a weekend, and in front of what should be the first packed home crowd of the season at the Schottenstein Center. Wisconsin has shown a blueprint for beating Michigan, which included knocking down a lot of shots from behind the three-point line. While Ohio State isn’t known as an elite three-point shooting team, they have guys like Thornton and John Mobley Jr. who can heat up and will need to have strong performances if they want to pull off the upset.
With this being a rivalry game, Dusty May will have Michigan locked in and ready to go. At the same time, Ohio State will be throwing everything it has into this matchup in hopes of picking up their biggest win of the season and significantly boosting its tournament resume in this Big Ten showdown.