The Michigan Wolverines will be looking to extend their win streak to six on Sunday as they travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. A rivalry that is not typically known for its action on the hardwood has some added hype this year following some disappointing seasons from each program in the recent past.
Sunday’s matchup will be the first time since March 6th, 2022 that both teams are coming into this matchup with a winning record.
Michigan (19-5, 11-2) is heading down the final stretch of their schedule in a race for the Big Ten regular season title in this first year under head coach Dusty May. This new-look Wolverines team is led by a pair of 7-footers in Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. The Yale transfer Wolf, who averages a double-double, is a sight to behold on the basketball court as he does not play like your typical 7-footer with his ability to dribble, shoot the three, and make highlight-reel passes.
Guard Tre Donaldson has been the real difference maker for this team during this five game win streak though as he has averaged 14.6 points while hitting on nearly 40% of his 3-point shots. Also of note is Roddy Gayle Jr. who transferred to Michigan after spending two seasons with Ohio State which could add some juice to this rivalry game.
On the other end, Ohio State(15-10, 7-7) is a guard heavy group with Bruce Thornton leading the way at 17.3ppg. They also have freshman John Mobley Jr. who is shooting a Big Ten best 42.3% from behind the arc and is not afraid to let it fly from anywhere on the court.
Jake Diebler’s squad has struggled down low all year and will need guys like Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart to step up on the defensive end against Michigan’s bigs. They are not afraid to play small though with 6’6” Devin Royal, who is coming off a lower leg injury, but is having a great year (13.5ppg 7.3rpg) and plays a lot bigger than he actually is.
This is a big game NCAA Tournament wise in the middle of a home stretch for Ohio State before heading out west. The Buckeyes are currently projected in the field but could use a couple more wins to solidify that. At this point Michigan is playing for seeding and another Quad 1 win on the road would not hurt their resume.
This game produced some great college basketball moments during the John Beilein and Thad Matta eras. From Columbus native Trey Burke battling against Aaron Craft and his high school teammate Jared Sullinger to Evan Turner’s half-court shot in the Big Ten tournament to the Tim Hardaway Jr. game in a top-10 matchup in 2013, and more. With all the hype around this rivalry in football, it is nice to see these two teams meet on the basketball court once again with it feeling like it actually matters.