The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-3, 6-2) look to take over sole control of first place in the Big Ten when they host the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines (16-5, 6-2) on Sunday afternoon at Value City Arena.
Both teams are locked atop the Big Ten along with Michigan State at 6-2 in conference play. The Buckeyes have won their last three conference games in impressive fashion with a 25-point average margin of victory in the three wins.
The Wolverines should provide a much stiffer challenge today as they bounced back from a tough non-conference loss at Arkansas last weekend to gut out a 66-64 win at Purdue on Tuesday. Guards Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.2 ppg) and Trey Burke (14.1 ppg) lead the way for Michigan.
Along The Olentangy previews the game and thinks things will be closer than the experts predict.
Vegas has the Buckeyes as 14-point favorites, a sum I think is a bit high. While the game is in Columbus--and, incidentally, will see Ohio State host super-recruit Stefon Diggs--I don't see a runaway Buckeye victory unless the Michigan shooters go cold. Michigan lacks an answer for Jared Sullinger, as most teams do, and that will lead to a Buckeye victory, but I think Burkes and Hardaway keep Michigan close until the final minutes.
The game is schedule to tip at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS.
For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.