Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, 3/13/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan Wolverines

Date: Friday, March 13, 2026

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Ohio State (+13)

The Ohio State Buckeyes (20-11) are headed to United Center on Friday where they will play the Michigan Wolverines (29-2) in the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan opens this contest as 13-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 153.5.

The Ohio State Buckeyes played Indiana and walked away with a win by a score of 91-78 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Buckeyes ended up walking away with 15 while Indiana accounted for 20 personal fouls. They also knocked down 5 of their 18 tries from 3-point range. Indiana ended up going 81.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of their 21 tries. Furthermore, Indiana grabbed 17 rebounds (4 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Indiana recorded 15 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. Pertaining to the defense, Ohio State allowed their opponent to shoot 54.9% from the floor on 28 of 51 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Pertaining to pulling down rebounds, they earned 23 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Buckeyes knocked down 22 of 25 tries for a rate of 88.0%. Ohio State ended with a 59.2% FG percentage (29 out of 49) and knocked down 11 out of their 24 shots from downtown.

Bruce Thornton is a player who came through in this matchup. He went 77.8% from the field and totaled 7 assists. He played for 38 mins and collected 3 rebounds. He accounted for 25 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

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Ohio State heads into this contest with a mark of 20-11 on the campaign. They have an average of 80.5 points per contest (79th in D-1) while going 49.5% from the floor. The Buckeyes are shooting 36.3% on shots from downtown (253 of 697) and 77.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Ohio State is collecting 33.7 rebounds per game and has racked up 446 dimes so far this season, which is 174th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 10.5 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Buckeyes are forcing their opponents into 10.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 154th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 412 conceded this season. The Buckeyes defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 43.7% (787 of 1,799) and they relinquish 31.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They are giving up 31.2% on shots from distance and they rank 151st in Division 1 in PPG allowed (73.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the Michigan Wolverines walked away with a victory by a final of 90-80 when they faced Michigan State. With respect to cleaning the glass, Michigan allowed Michigan State to grab 28 overall (9 on the offensive glass). They finished 33.3% from 3-point land via 6 of 18 and walked away from this one shooting 16 out of 20 from the free throw line (80.0%). The Wolverines allowed Michigan State to make 29 of their 65 attempts from the field which left them shooting 44.6% in the game. When the game finished, the Wolverines walked away from this one shooting 27 for 55 from the field which had them shooting 49.1%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, Michigan converted 10 out of 22 attempts (45.5%). They were able to convert 26 of the free throw tries for a clip of 89.7%. Michigan State committed 22 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Wolverines to the free throw line for a total of 29 shots. They also turned it over 10 times, while getting 2 steals for this game. The Wolverines pulled down 22 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 29 in this matchup.

Yaxel Lendeborg ended up being a major contributor for the Wolverines for this game. He accumulated 27 points in his 38 mins on the court and had 3 dimes in the game. He made 8 out of 12 for the matchup giving him a rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 3 rebounds.

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Michigan has a record of 29-2 on the season. The Wolverines are responsible for committing 15.8 fouls per contest and they go 74.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 18.8 times per contest (6th in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 12.2 times per contest. Michigan has 2,741 points on the year (88.4 per game) and they grab 40.4 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Wolverines are connecting on 51.0% from the field, which is 8th in Division 1.

The Michigan defense surrenders 29.6% on shots from distance (244 of 825) and opponents are converting on 75.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 11.0 dimes and 31.3 total boards per game, which is ranked 26th and 30th in those defensive categories. The Wolverines defensively are ranked 56th in college in PPG surrendered with 69.1. They are able to force 11.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.0% from the field (2nd in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ohio State (+13)

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