Game 19: Ohio State at Michigan Preview

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Michigan hosts Ohio State tonight (8:00 p.m., FOX) for Trey Burke night in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines will put Burke’s No. 3 jersey in the rafters at halftime for the only game on the schedule that makes sense for the Columbus native.

The Buckeye/Wolverine rivalry doesn’t quite have the same bite that it did when Burke was in Ann Arbor, but it’s a crucial game for both teams. Ohio State is 13-5 (5-3 Big Ten) with a resume that doesn’t have many ugly marks, but also lacks much to celebrate.

The Buckeyes haven’t been blown out this season, but their best win is at Northwestern. Enthusiasm for the Jake Diebler era has been hard to muster — with record lows in home attendance — but this squad has high-level talent at the top of its rotation and plenty of runway to make the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan has the opportunity to pick up a rivalry win before diving into one of the biggest weeks of the year with top-of-the-standings games against Nebraska and Michigan State.

The Buckeyes

Ohio State’s offense is well ahead of its defense. The Buckeyes are ranked 23rd nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and fifth in Big Ten games at 1.18 points per possession.

The Buckeyes are shooting 57.3% on twos (5th) and 33.7% on threes (10th) for a 54.8 eFG% (5th) in Big Ten games. For the season, Ohio State is ranked 10th nationally in 2-point accuracy at 60.3%.

Outside of 2-point scoring, the Buckeyes’ strength on offense has been on the glass, where they’ve hauled down 34.9% of misses (3rd) and posted an offensive rebounding rate of 37+ percent in the last four games.

Ohio State succeeds on offense because it has several elite offensive talents. The Buckeye offense is overweight on off-ball actions, taking more shots out from off-ball screens and cuts than the average offense, but can fall back on elite shot-making talent with the trio of Bruce Thornton, John Mobley, and Devin Royal.