Scarlet Sunrise: Both Ohio State, Michigan looking to end skids in MLK Day rivalry matchup

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Both Ohio State, Michigan looking to end skids in MLK Day rivalry matchup

Evan Mahaffey remembers being shown an Ohio State-Michigan basketball hype video when the Buckeyes originally recruited him. Mahaffey used the Ohio State-appropriate nomenclature, of course: “‘The Team Up North’ video,” he called it in a Friday Zoom interview.

“I think just the history between the two,” the Cincinnati native said, “you see it on campus all the time when we play them in football. You hear about the way people talk about this game.”

Mahaffey added: “There’s definitely a different type of noise around it. It makes it exciting to play.”

There’s a lot on the line Monday afternoon as the programs square off in Ann Arbor on Martin Luther King Day.

Ohio State (12-4, 2-3 Big Ten) has dropped back-to-back games and is still searching for its first true road win since New Year’s Day last year. Michigan (6-10, 1-4), on the other hand, is riding a five-game losing streak and has had an odd start to what’s looking more and more like a lost year.

Michigan’s Juwan Howard missed the first part of the season after recovering from heart surgery and then gradually returned to his head coaching role, at first serving as an observer and then as an assistant. His first game back as the Wolverines’ head coach was Dec. 16 against Eastern Michigan. That was after Howard was also part of an alleged practice altercation with strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson, as reported by ESPN.

The latest Michigan storyline centers around top scorer and point guard Dug McDaniel, who was suspended by the program for six road games, the first being the Wolverines’ 64-57 loss at Maryland Thursday.

“Dug will dress for home games, however, when we are away from Ann Arbor, he will work towards meeting several academic goals he has set and needs to meet,” Howard said in a statement.

So McDaniel will be in action for Michigan Monday. He headlines the offense, which is actually 38th in adjusted KenPom adjusted efficiency. McDaniel is averaging 17.8 points and 5.1 assists per game.

Another name to know for the Wolverines is Olivier Nkamhoua, a 6-foot-9 forward who is posting 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Wing Terrance Williams II can stretch the floor for Michigan. He leads the team with 35 triples in 2023-24, not to mention his 4.2 boards per outing.

Michigan, which notably lost star center Hunter Dickinson to Kansas in the transfer portal this past offseason, has no trouble scoring the basketball. In fact, Howard’s group is tied for 55th in the country with 80.1 points per game.

Closing games? Now that’s an issue. Michigan has lost two overtime contests, and, of its 10 defeats, eight have been decided by single digits.

Ohio State can’t talk, either. The Buckeyes led by two points with 5:49 remaining Wednesday against No. 15 Wisconsin. And, similar to the previous weekend’s defeat at Indiana — where the Buckeyes trailed by two with 1:44 left — Ohio State couldn’t deliver in the home stretch.

“We’re all hungry. We’re all ready to get back out on the court, I think just to get that taste out of our mouth,” Mahaffey said.

“I know those two games are both games that definitely were winnable on our part.”

To get back on track, Ohio State will have to re-enter the win column on the road. That’s a much bigger monkey the Buckeyes need to get off their back.

“Anywhere you go in the Big Ten, it’s gonna be a good environment where you got to play for 40 minutes,” Ohio State assistant coach Jack Owens said Friday. “But we do expect a good crowd and all sorts of the things [you deal with] when you go on the road. At the same time, it’s about our play.

“No matter what, we have to do our jobs for 40 minutes. We expect to a great fight from Michigan. They’re looking to stop their losing streak as well.”

Monday is a must-win game for Michigan. In a way, it feels like one for the Buckeyes, too. After all, they need to steer clear of a slide anywhere close to last year’s January-February stretch when they lost 13-of-14 games and saw their NCAA Tournament hopes wither away.

Mahaffey, who transferred in from Penn State ahead of the 2023-24 season, is aware of the stakes, especially in Michigan’s Crisler Center.

“I played at Michigan last year. So I sort of know how that arena gets,” Mahaffey said. “But I didn’t play against Michigan as an Ohio State Buckeye. So it’ll definitely be a little bit different, for sure. Just hearing some of the stories and stuff from the guys that have played against them at their place in the past.

“But I think we’re all ready for it.”

He later reiterated: “I think we’re really excited, too, to go on the road to ‘The Team Up North’ and just dominate, really.”

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Freshman progress report midway through the Buckeyes season

Ohio State is at the midway point of the regular season. The Buckeyes have played 16 games, and Lettermen Row is taking stock of how the program’s 2023 recruiting class has fared so far.

Some freshmen have made an impact, others still have a ways to go.

Unlike last season, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has a chance to ease in his first-year players. That said, with a need for more scoring recently, one in particular could see a spike in usage.

Check out the freshman progress report here.

Next steps for Buckeyes as spring roster begins to take shape

A total of 11 draft-eligible Ohio State players have announced their decisions to return for the 2024 season. The Buckeyes have added three plug-and-play players from the transfer portal.

Plus, head coach Ryan Day has made a couple of staff changes already.

Lettermen Row is breaking down the next three steps for Ohio State as January hits the mid point. Go here to find out what those are.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 229 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 320 days

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