Michigan vs Ohio St Basketball Gambling Lines
The 15th-ranked Michigan Wolverines will make the trip out to Columbus to take on the 22nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday. [ad-4468020]
15 Michigan Wolverines (17-6) at 22 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-5)
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Time: 9:00 PM ET
Venue: Value City Arena
City: Columbus, Ohio
O/U Odds: 129.5
Spread: Ohio State -3.5
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Matchup Stats | ATS Insider Preview
College basketball’s Rivalry Week will see the latest chapter in this storied rivalry written at the Value City Arena. Michigan enters having fall back to earth with losses in two of their last three Big Ten contests, while Ohio State has begun to right the ship with wins in three straight and four of their last five.
The meeting will be the 173rd between these programs, and it carries added importance as it will be the only meeting between the teams this season.
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Even with wins in four of their last five, a home loss to Penn State is serious cause for concern for an Ohio State team that has lost four games in a row prior to that stretch. However, wins at Wisconsin and at Iowa could mean the team has finally turned the corner, and a solid effort against a Michigan team that has walked all over Big Ten opponents to the tune of a 9-2 conference record.
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Michigan sits alongside Michigan State atop the conference at that mark, but they know that there won’t be any days off if they hope to remain at the top of the standings. They’ll need to bounce back in a hurry playing just three days after a loss at Iowa, and they’ll have to do so while playing their third road game inside the Big Ten in the last 10 days. To make matters worse, Michigan hasn’t picked up a win in Columbus in over 11 years.
To break that trend, the team will rely heavily on players like Caris LeVert and Nik Stauskas. LeVert has posted five consecutive double-digit scoring performances to up his season scoring average to 12.6 points, averaging 16.2 points and 6.8 rebounds over the team’s last five contests, while Stauskas leads the squad with 17.0 points per game.
As for the Buckeyes, guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. will be a player to keep an eye on. He hit four three-pointers and finished with 16 points against Purdue, giving him 14 three-pointers over the last six games – Ohio State is 7-0 on the season when he makes three or more three-pointers.
A Buckeyes team that has simply looked lost at the offensive end at times this season is simply giving away too many points to a Wolverines squad that hasn’t had much trouble going on the road and imposing its will in hostile environments. With the added importance of this particular meeting, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this game go right down to the final shot.
The Wolverines are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss.
The play: Michigan +3.5
