Michigan travels to #23 Ohio State to complete their regular season

Michigan comes in 16-13 overall, and 10-9 in the conference. The Wolverines are coming off of a rough home loss to #24 Iowa in a game they never had a lead on Senior Night. Iowa did an outstanding job taking advantage of their 6’8″ small forwards to cause chaos and mismatches on the offensive end. They also did a great job by mucking it up defensively, neutralizing Michigan’s interior size. Michigan could never take advantage of their bigger post players, while Iowa had advantage with their wings. This game in Columbus against Ohio State is a huge game, and in my opinion, a must-win. Michigan is fortunate the bubble is beyond weak, but they do not want to leave anything to chance. Win the next two games, Michigan is dancing.

Ohio State comes in 19-9 overall, and 12-7 in the conference. The Buckeyes lost two games in a row to teams who will not be in the NCAA tournament. The home loss to Nebraska was the most confusing. The Huskers hit a jump shot with 5:15 left in the 1st half to take the lead, and the Buckeyes never had the lead again. Ohio State then received news their 3rd and 4th leading scorers were out for Michigan State, and their frontcourt was depleted. Ohio State won, played a great game, got surprise contributions, and their best players showed up and played well. In their last game against Michigan, both teams were fairly tame with their energy. Neither team let up a big run in the first 25 minutes before Ohio State started to turn it up and close the game out.

Michigan vs Ohio State Statistical Overview

Pace: Ohio State is on one of the slower paced teams in the country, averaging 67.6 possessions per game, ranking 310th nationally.

Pick and Roll – Defense Commits to Ballhandler: When utilizing the ballhandler in the pick and roll, then the defense commits, Ohio State is one of the best in the country. They average 1.04 points per possession (PPP) in these situations which ranks 6th in the nation. (Michigan’s defense allows 0.804 PPP in these situations, ranking 138th nationally)

Spot-Ups: In spot-up situations, Ohio State scores 1.096 PPP which ranks 9th nationally. (Michigan’s defense allows 0.874 PPP in spot-up situations, ranking 100th nationally)

Team Offensive Efficiency: Ohio State’s overall offensive efficiency ranks 20th in the country, scoring 1.098 PPP. (Michigan allows 0.923 PPP, ranking 288th in the country)

Team Defensive Efficiency: Ohio State’s defensive efficiency ranks 221st nationally, allowing 1.009 PPP. (Michigan scores 0.95 PPP, ranking 72nd in the country)

Ohio State Main Personnel

#32 EJ Liddell: Liddell is a 6’7″ 240 pound forward out of Illinois. He is averaging 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game. His 19.5 points per game ranks 28th in the country, and 4th in the Big Ten. Liddell is ranked 18th nationally in blocked shots per game, helping with weak side rim protection. He has been efficient offensively, shooting 49.7% from the floor and shooting 38% from 3pt range. Liddell is responsible for 25% of Ohio State’s offense, scoring 1.051 PPP which ranks 437th nationally. It is imperative for Michigan forward Moussa Diabate to stay out of foul trouble and neutralize this matchup. Michigan’s chances of winning increases exponentially if Diabate is able to disrupt Liddell’s rhythm. (Last Game vs Michigan: 28 points 8/17 FG, five rebounds, three blocks)

#22 Malaki Branham: Branham is a 6’5″ 180 pound freshman guard out of Akron, Ohio. He is averaging 13.1 points and 3.6 rebounds on 48.7% shooting from the field, and 43.4% from 3pt range. Branham has erupted as of late, and has become a legit one-two punch along with Liddell. In the last six games, Branham is averaging 21.8 points on 50% shooting from the floor and 38.9% from 3pt range. He has been able to take a lot of pressure off of the offense with giving the Buckeyes another legit weapon. Eli Brooks is going to be heavily depended on to slow down the freshman, who is now showing up on multiple prominent NBA draft boards. (Last Game vs Michigan: Six points 3/7 FG, three rebounds)

Supporting Personnel

#50 Joey Brunk: Brunk is a 6’11” 255 pound center out of Indiana. He has dealt with a series of injuries over the last couple of seasons. Starting his career out at Butler, then Indiana, before ending up in Columbus. Under normal circumstances, he would not be in this breakdown. Before playing Michigan State, he was averaging four or five minutes per game. Due to players being out, he was called upon and scored 18 points and six rebounds on 70% shooting while playing a season high 33 minutes. (Last Game vs Michigan: Two points 1/1 shooting)

#55 Jamari Wheeler: Wheeler is a 6’1″ 170 pound guard Penn State transfer out of Florida. He is averaging 7.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Wheeler wants to bring a lot of energy to the Buckeye defense, and hit hot shots. His ability to stretch the floor by shooting 39% from the 3pt line helps with floor spacing. He will be in charge of causing chaos and interrupting Michigan’s backcourt. (Last Game vs Michigan: Seven points 2/4 shooting, one rebound, one assist)

#23 Zed Key and #25 Kyle Young: Key and Young are the 3rd and 4th leading scorers on the team, both interior players. They were out in the last game due to injury/illness and their status is unknown for this game. Young is a hustle guy who offers some floor spacing, and Key is a 6’8″ below the rim player who uses his body well around the basket.