Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, 1/23/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines

Date: Friday, January 23, 2026

Location: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Ohio State Buckeyes (12-5) are hitting the road to Crisler Center on Friday where they will take on the Michigan Wolverines (16-1).

The Ohio State Buckeyes stepped onto the hardwood against Minnesota and went home with a win by a final score of 82-74 in their last contest. Ohio State ended the contest having earned a 47.7% field goal percentage (31 of 65) and buried 7 of their 24 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Buckeyes converted 13 of 18 tries for a percentage of 72.2%. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 37 with 10 of them being offensive. They also dished out 10 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When talking about defense, Ohio State allowed their opponent to shoot 39.7% from the floor on 23 out of 58 shooting. Minnesota doled out 13 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. In addition, Minnesota totaled 30 rebounds (8 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Minnesota finished shooting 80.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 20 of 25 shots. They also made 8 out of their 28 attempts from distance. In the matter of personal fouls, the Buckeyes ended up finishing with 20 and Minnesota racked up 19 personal fouls.

John Mobley Jr. is someone who was a major contributor in this contest. He accounted for 26 points on 9 of 19 shooting. He played for 43 minutes and also snagged 3 rebounds. He finished 47.4% from the field and recorded 2 dimes.

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Ohio State enters this matchup with a record of 12-5 this season. They currently have an average of 83.3 points per contest (70th in college hoops) on 49.9% from the field. The Buckeyes are connecting on 34.3% on 3-pointers (134 of 391) and 79.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Ohio State is grabbing 36.6 rebounds per game and has tallied 274 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 151st in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 10.9 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Buckeyes are able to force 10.8 turnovers per game while drawing 19.8 fouls. They are giving up 30.0% on 3-point attempts and they are 137th in college hoops in points per game allowed (72.1). The Buckeyes defense is giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (428 of 1,025) and they relinquish 31.3 boards per game as a group. They rank 82nd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 220 relinquished so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the Michigan Wolverines walked away with a victory by a final of 86-72 when they faced Indiana. With respect to rebounds, Michigan allowed Indiana to snag 22 overall (5 offensive). They finished 32.4% from downtown by hitting 11 of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 15 of 18 from the charity stripe (83.3%). The Wolverines permitted Indiana to convert 23 out of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.4% for this contest. Overall, the Wolverines finished the game shooting 27 for 53 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.9%. In terms of shooting from downtown, Michigan made 10 of their 25 tries (40.0%). They were able to knock down 22 of those for a percentage of 66.7%. Indiana committed 24 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Wolverines to the charity stripe for a total of 33 tries. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while recording 6 steals for the matchup. The Wolverines recorded 29 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 40 in the matchup.

Elliot Cadeau ended up being a major contributor for the Wolverines in this matchup. He made 5 of 11 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and had 4 rebounds. He racked up 19 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the matchup.

Michigan has a win-loss record of 16-1 for the season. The Wolverines have committed 16.3 personal fouls per game and they shoot 72.9% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 19.7 times per game (7th in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.2 times per contest. Michigan has totaled 1,582 points for the year (93.1 per contest) and they grab 42.8 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Wolverines are shooting 51.7% from the field, which ranks 8th in the nation.

The Michigan defense allows 30.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (141 of 469) and their opponents are knocking down 71.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 9.7 assists and 33.6 boards per contest, which ranks them 6th and 124th in the country. The Wolverines on defense are ranked 62nd in the country in points per game surrendered with 68.8. They are forcing 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 36.0% from the floor (2nd in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ohio State

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