LOOK: Columbus born wings joint catching blowback for pro-Michigan tweet

A national wings joint born in Columbus shared a tweet that is pro-Michigan and very much not Ohio State friendly. Let the fireworks launch.

The Ohio State vs. Michigan football rivalry runs deep, and one national wings joint born in Columbus is learning that lesson the hard way.

They say Tweets never die. You can take them down, delete them, and attempt to walk them back, but think twice before you hit that send button because someone will always capture a screengrab and have it live on for eternity. Not only that, but people’s memories can be very, very long when it comes to things of passion. You know — like Ohio State vs. Michigan.

Before we hit this thing head-on, a quick history lesson of Buffalo Wild Wings. It was born in Columbus just a stone’s throw from the Ohio State campus. From there, it spread across the country like wildfire, but the roots are right there in the DNA of central Ohio. In the DNA of central Ohio is THE Ohio State University.

However, that was lost on the wing giant when it reacted to a response to one of its questions on Twitter. It all had to do with J.T. Barrett and the “spot” in overtime on fourth down vs. Michigan in 2016. Of course, Michigan fans’ bleeding hearts will go to the grave believing Barrett was short and that the game should have ended. Ohio State fans have a different outlook. The reality is that it was super close.

But Buffalo Wild Wings laid down the gauntlet on Michigan’s side with a simple response to its original tweet of what the worst sports loss ever was for fans.

In a moment that’s the opposite of forward-thinking, the personality behind the Twitter account of Buffalo Wild Wings threw down the gauntlet and simply replied “short” to B1G Champs Barstool Blue’s scarring share of the Barret spot.

From there, things have not gone well. We’ll let you sift through the thread for yourself, but we wouldn’t be surprised if some of the BW3s in Columubus have some serious damage control to do before they have to shutter their doors.

Yes, embargoes are in full effect in cities across Ohio, especially Columbus where the restaurant was founded in 1982.

[lawrence-related id=17287]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Michigan’s Nico Collins hilariously believes the Wolverines have more talent than Ohio State

Want a good laugh? Outgoing Michigan wide receiver Nico Collins actually believes the Wolverines’ talent is equal or better than Ohio State.

Forgive me while I pick myself off the floor from laughter.

In case you missed it, there was some hilarity coming out of the Michigan football program Thursday — at least from a former player that has been on the receiving end of a few public flogging at the hands of Ohio State.

If you follow college football, or at least the OSU vs. Michigan rivalry, we’re sure you know who Nico Collins is. Collins spent three years in Ann Arbor as one of the Wolverines’ top wide receivers before opting out in 2020. He’s been known to be outspoken, but he just made a claim that someone watching Ohio State and Michigan from the moon without a telescope wouldn’t make.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Collins went as far as suggesting not only that Michigan has had as much talent as OSU over the last few years, but that the players wearing the maize and blue were more talented in some cases than those wearing scarlet and gray. Here is his quote as transcribed by Wolverines Wire.

“It’s way closer,” Collins said. “I’d say the talent is the same kind of talent. I would say there’s not a difference between the two. Every time we play O-State, we know what kind of game it’s gonna be – it’s gonna be all four quarters. With the athletes they got and we got, I’d say we match up. They don’t have more athletes than we got. I feel like it’s pretty much equal or we pretty much have more than them. That’s it, man. Talent-wise, I’d say it’s pretty much equal. There wasn’t no advantage with them – none at all.”

Give me a moment while I wipe up the Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper in my Yeti cup that I just spewed all over the floor. What!? He said what?

https://twitter.com/wolverineswire/status/1374796077958889480?s=20

OK. I’ll give every dollar I’ve got if I can walk out on the street in almost every American city in this great country of ours (including Ann Arbor, Michigan) and find five people that believe that notion. If so, there’s a lot of explaining to do because Jim Harbaugh is still slipping khakis on every day and going to work in the shadow of the Big House despite underutilizing all that NFL talent up in Michigan.

Look, you could actually, kind of argue that 2016 was a year in which the talent between the two programs was equal (J.T got the first down), but since then, it’s been a house of cards at TTUN. In Collins’ first year in 2017, Ohio State won the game 31-20. That’s respectable. However, when Collins became an even bigger part of the team in 2018 and 2019, the scores looked like me playing Madden against my six-year-old cousin. The Buckeyes won 62-39 in 2018, and 56-27 in 2019.

If Collins was trying to make waves with his statements, he definitely did that. I’m sure his two catches for 32 yards in the 2019 game more than backup his comments.

[lawrence-related id=47774,46939]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

LOOK. Ohio State Twitter trolls Michigan on loss in Big Ten Championship game

Ohio State Twitter was ablaze with some of the best trolling you’ll see when the Buckeyes upset Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Saturday.

Ohio State beat Michigan in another sporting event. It wasn’t football, but it was another competition with big stakes on the line. Appears the Wolverines just can’t have nice things with the Buckeyes hanging around as the bully on the Big Ten block.

OK, OK, yeah Michigan won the regular-season Big Ten title and already beat OSU once this season, but you get the idea. It’s another momentous occasion in which scarlet and gray won out over maize and blue, so we’re making note of it.

And apparently, we aren’t the only ones. The Twitter trolls were out in full force Saturday after the upset to dunk all over Michigan for another loss to the Buckeyes. Here are some of the best of them.

[vertical-gallery id=47479]

Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

Ohio State knocks off Michigan in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal. Three takeaways.

Ohio State survived a late surge by Michigan in a semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament Saturday. Here are three takeaways from the game.

How are you doing Ohio State basketball fans? Hopefully, after three straight games of cardiac type finishes, you are still hanging in there and enjoying this journey. The Buckeyes, losers of four straight heading into postseason play, have now won three a row in dramatic fashion and will now be playing for a Big Ten Tournament championship on Sunday.

It was another carbon copy of the previous two games where OSU got up in the second half and then had to hold off a hard-charging opponent. The difference in this one is that it was even sweeter because it was against No. 1 seed and regular-season champion, arch-rival Michigan.

If it weren’t for Ohio State, maybe the Wolverines could have nice things.

Another dramatic game means there was plenty we took away that we’ll share with you like we do every other game. Here are three things we took from the 68-67 win over TTUN.

NEXT … Defense baby

Ohio State vs. Michigan Big Ten Tournament basketball preview, prediction, and odds

Ohio State and Michigan are set to stage another battle in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal, and we’ve got our preview and prediction up.

Records

Ohio State 20-8 (12-8), Michigan 20-3 (14-3)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, March 13
Game Time: 1 p.m. EST
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Network: CBS


Are you still with us Ohio State basketball fans? I don’t know how much more of this we can take. Both games in the Big Ten Tournament have so far been filled with more drama than a primetime reality show finale, with OSU finding a way to pull both of them out.

Now, it’s on to the next step of the journey in Indianapolis, and this time its against the arch-nemisis and No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines.

The first time these two met about three weeks ago, the pair staged an epic ballgame that Ohio State fell just short in. It catapulted the Wolverines to the regular-season Big Ten title, and sent the Buckeyes into a four-game tailspin of which it seems to just now be recovering from.

This one is for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game, so there are some rather significant things at stake. Let’s dig into everything you need to know about this matchup.

Next … The Ohio State game plan

Ohio State a moderate dog to Michigan according to BetMGM

Ohio State and Michigan will meet on Saturday in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal. The Buckeyes are moderate underdogs per BetMGM.

Ding. Ding. It’s time for round two between Ohio State and Michigan, and if the second one is anything like the first, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun. That one had a lot of scoring and went up and down the court, with both teams playing at a high level. The Buckeyes ultimately lost by five points, but it was still a good showing.

Now, both old rivals will meet again in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal with a chance to head to the conference championship game with a win.

The odds are out already in this quick one-day turnaround and you probably won’t be surprised to know that the Wolverines are favored. What may raise some eyebrows is the notion that Michigan is favored by 6.5 points according to BetMGM, a decent spread for two top ten teams meeting up on a neutral court.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

But hey, that’s okay. Many counted Ohio State out when it lost four straight games heading into the tournament, and even more counted the Buckeyes out in the matchup vs. Purdue.

Let’s just enjoy the ride and see if this journey can continue.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Ohio State basketball’s complete history in the Big Ten Tournament

Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Michigan football’s new, inexperienced defensive coordinator sidesteps question about Ohio State

Michigan has itself a new defensive coordinator with no experience calling plays. See how he sidestepped the Ohio State problem when asked.

It’s no secret the Michigan football program has had a — shall we say — unfortunate run against Ohio State. It’s not quite Washington Generals against Harlem Globetrotters futility, but it’s not far off.

Because of all of the issues in competing with the Buckeyes despite bringing in Jim Harbaugh to perform a ceremonial and miraculous walk across Lake Michigan to be the savior of the program, things have not gone well. Harbaugh is 0-8 against Ohio State and the gap continues to seemingly widen. With it, Harbaugh received the weirdest contract extension in the history of college football and made wholesale changes on his coaching staff.

One of those begrudging and forced changes includes a change at defensive coordinator. Gone is Don Brown after getting publicly flogged on a yearly basis by Buckeye offenses, and in his stead comes a 33-year old, inexperienced defensive coordinator in the person of Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald was plucked from the family tree if you will when he was convinced to leave the better coach Harbaugh’s staff (Jon) with the Baltimore Ravens. He left his post there to get the promotion of all promotions and handed the keys to the Wolverine’s defensive kingdom. A crumbling kingdom where the moat of the castle has dried up to be sure, but an empire nonetheless.

As with any new coach on Michigan’s staff these days, inevitably Macdonald was asked about how his defenses would be more effective vs. Ohio State while appearing at his first media availability. I mean, inquiring and perpetually disappointed minds want to know.

“Look, I appreciate the question, but in all honestly, we’re just trying to get as good as we can get right now,” Macdonald said. “It is a, literally, what’s important now focus. From meeting to meeting, from rep to rep, from practice to practice. All the stuff in the season, that’s gonna take care of itself and we can’t worry about that until we get good at what we’re doing right now. Those conversations, I’m gonna leave that private to us and our guys. But over the course of time, there’s no way that we can compete with anybody until we get good at what we do. That’s how we’re planning on handling it.”

Ummm, OK. Yet another Wolverine coach downplaying the rivalry. I’m sure that’s exactly what the fans of “the winningest program in college football” (snicker, snicker) want to hear from a guy tasked with performing the reboot of the century to a college football defense. All of it designed to once again compete with the scarlet and gray elephant in the room.

I mean, own it. Nobody wants to hear you shout empty promises and hollow rah-rah stuff, but at least acknowledge the emotion and all that goes into wanting to be better. Michigan fans are longing for someone to tip the scales and have some sort of plan and emotion surrounding the rivalry and that just isn’t happening.

Treating this game like all the others and not playing it up to everyone in earshot hasn’t historically worked in this rivalry. It didn’t work for John Cooper at Ohio State, and it hasn’t worked for Michigan for years now. THE No. 1 reason why the Buckeyes have owned the Wolverines for almost two decades now was is because they live and breathe the rivalry every single second, of every minute, of every day, of every year.

Keep doing you Michigan, and Ohio State will keep being what it is, which is the big, bad bully taking your lunch money out on the football field of Big Ten recess.

[lawrence-related id=45192]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Ohio State vs. Michigan most watched college basketball game of the year

The Ohio State vs. Michigan basketball game on Sunday delivered the ratings. It was the most-watched college basketball game this season.

Ohio State vs. Michigan did it again, but this time on the basketball court.

It’s nothing new to have a Buckeyes vs. Wolverines matchup on the gridiron be one of the most-watched college football games of the year, but this time, it’s a game between the two rivals in hoops that set some viewing records.

According to CBS Sports PR, the game between No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday was the most-watched college basketball game of the year on any network. That means it beat games like Carolina vs. Duke and Kentucky vs. Louisville. In fact, it was the highest-rated game since a contest between Kentucky and Tennessee on March 2, 2019.

That’s pretty impressive when you consider that both fanbases don’t get into games on the hardwood as much as those with a pigskin.

Maybe it had to do with the two missing out on a matchup in late November on the football field, or maybe it was because it was two highly ranked teams playing basketball at an extremely high level.

What does the ESPN matchup predictor say about Ohio State basketball’s remaining games?

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

LOOK. What Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard said about Ohio State postgame

Look at what Michigan head coach Juwan Howard said about Ohio State following the Buckeyes’ heart-breaking loss to the Wolverines Sunday.

Ohio State came up just a bit short against an extremely talented Michigan basketball squad on Sunday. It was a bit of a litmus test for both top five teams as we head down the stretch of the regular season. The Wolverines showed why they’ve only lost one game this year with defense, great shooting, and a willingness to share the basketball.

Head coach Juwan Howard met with the media following the win and felt really good about how his team played. He also had some pretty complimentary things to say about Ohio State and the level of effort it put forth in a high-energy, competitive game.

In case you missed anything Howard had to say about the Buckeyes following the game, we’ve got it here thanks to our friends at Wolverines Wire.

On the challenge Ohio State presented:

“Damn right I anticipated a challenge! Ohio State is a great team. They’re got in the position they’re in by being 18-4 before this game and being ranked No. 4 in the country. Great coach, also a very balanced team. They have outside shooting, they have inside scoring. They have guys that can drive the ball to the basket. They’re a very skillful group and a well-coached group, like I said earlier. Yes, I’m not happy with our defensive numbers, but I’ll take it with a victory. Gonna take a look on our film and see how we can improve.”

On sharing the ball against a good Ohio State defense:

“You’re playing against a great defensive team that has a lot of different coverages, a lot of different ways how to defend. They try to cause some type of disruption out there on the floor. Our guys understand, I talked about it in practice. We watched it on film and talked about it on walkthrough today and also before we went out there on the floor before the jump ball about just making the easy plays and we need more ball and player movement. Get up and get away from ISO balling. So with the different defensive reads, our guys took their time in making simple plays and that’s why we only had seven turnovers.”

Ohio State is next in action against Michigan State on the road Thursday.

[lawrence-related id=46355]

[vertical-gallery id=46361]

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

WATCH: Chris Holtmann discusses loss against Michigan

Ohio State lost a close one to Michigan on Sunday in a battle of top-five teams. Head coach Chris Holtmann discussed the loss afterward.

Ohio State fought hard, but ultimately came up a wee-bit short against No. 3 Michigan on Sunday. It was a game that more or less lived up to its billing of two top-five opponents duking it for Big Ten and postseason implications.

The Wolverines ultimately made a couple of more plays than the Buckeyes were able to muster heading down the stretch and came away the winners by a score of 92-87.

OSU did some good things but wasn’t quite strong enough during winning time to win its eighth-straight game.

Head coach Chris Holtmann met with the media via Zoom call just after the disappointing loss to discuss his team’s performance and what he saw from Michigan. Click on the below and go to our YouTube Channel to watch and listen to all of his comments about the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51pDCkQRSjc

Ohio State will now have to turn its attention to another tough battle on Thursday against a resurgent Michigan State team on the road.

[lawrence-related id=46349]

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.