The No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-8, 12-8 Big 10) face the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (20-3, 14-3) Saturday in the semifinals of the Big 10 Men’s College Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Ohio State-Michigan odds and lines, with NCAA college basketball picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Ohio State vs. Michigan: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Ohio State +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Michigan -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Ohio State +6.5 (-115) | Michigan -6.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 145.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Ohio State vs. Michigan: Three things to know
- Ohio State squandered an 18-point first-half lead but eventually held on to beat No. 19 Purdue 87-78 in overtime as 1-point favorites in the quarterfinal round. Also, the Buckeyes started their first-round game against Minnesota with a 13-0 lead and allowed the Golden Gophers to “sneak in the backdoor” and cover as 11-point underdogs in their 79-75 victory.
- The Wolverines recovered from a 36-24 first-half deficit to roll the Maryland Terrapins 79-66, covering as 8.5-point favorites, in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 tourney. Michigan split its last four games to end the regular season with the losses being a 23-point beatdown by then-No. 4 Illinois March 2 and a 70-64 road loss to Michigan State as 7.5-point favorites.
- Michigan took down Ohio State in a 92-87 thriller in the only meeting this season Feb. 21. Both teams connected on 53% of their shots, however, the Wolverines wrapped the game up by making 13-of-15 free throws in the final five minutes.
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Ohio State vs. Michigan: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Michigan 81, Ohio State 77
Money line (ML)
PASS with a slight lean on Ohio State (+220) because I like the Buckeyes to cover the spread and wouldn’t hate sprinkling on their money line.
However, my read is that Michigan will ice this game at the charity stripe late similarly to its victory earlier this season over Ohio State.
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Against the spread (ATS)
This is just too many points for Michigan to be laying against OHIO STATE +6.5 (-115).
The Buckeyes are a feisty ‘dog (5-2-1 ATS with a plus-5.6-point spread differential as an underdog), they covered both meetings with the Wolverines last season, and the first Ohio State-Michigan game this season was tight with Michigan only favored 1.5 points that game.
While the Buckeyes hosted the Wolverines last month, and Ohio State has one of the biggest home-court advantages in the nation, according to Ken Pom, the additional five points of line value is too many in this spot.
GIMME OHIO STATE +6.5 (-115) for 1.25 units to keep this one close.
Over/Under (O/U)
It’s a slight lean on OVER 145.5 (-110) for a quarter-unit because both teams don’t force a lot of turnovers and shoot the ball really well.
Also, the last two Ohio State-Michigan games have gone Over the total, and these teams have a combined 4-0 O/U record in neutral site games this season.
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