The Michigan Wolverines take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
Ohio State is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -148. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here are my Michigan vs. Ohio State predictions and college basketball picks for February 16, 2025.
Michigan vs Ohio State Prediction
My Pick: Ohio State ML -134
My Michigan vs Ohio State best bet is on the Buckeyes moneyline, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Michigan vs Ohio State Odds
| Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -115 | 150.5 -112 / -108 | +124 |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -105 | 150.5 -112 / -108 | -148 |
- Michigan vs Ohio State spread: Ohio State -2.5
- Michigan vs Ohio State over/under: 150.5 points
- Michigan vs Ohio State moneyline: Ohio State -148, Michigan +124
- Michigan vs Ohio State best bet: Ohio State ML -134
Spread
I'm passing on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm backing the Bucks on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the over/under.
My Pick: Ohio State ML -134
Michigan vs Ohio State College Basketball Betting Preview
The “Big Game” hits the hardwood this year for the first and only time.
It's a pretty obvious letdown spot for the Wolverines, who just capped off a five-game win streak with a huge home victory over Purdue. Michigan currently sits alone atop the Big Ten standings at 10-2.
I also don’t trust Michigan on the road, as it ranks 296th nationally in Haslametrics' away-from-home metric. The Wolverines are just 5-7 ATS away from Ann Arbor this season, recently failing to cover against Rutgers, Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota — they lost outright to the Gophers in overtime.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is 10-5 ATS in Columbus this season.
It’s also worth mentioning the Wolverines have won five straight but are 0-5 against the closing number during the stretch. They might be a tad juiced in the markets, and they’re definitely due for a loss.
Plus, I don’t mind the schematic matchup for the Buckeyes.
Michigan is an elite spread pick-and-roll attack, primarily by working through the Danny Wolf-Vlad Goldin ball-screen actions while spreading the floor around them. The Wolverines are an elite rim-and-3 offense.
Ohio State is solid in ball-screen coverage (.82 PPP allowed, 79th percentile, per Synergy) and an average rim-and-3 defense for the Big Ten — the Buckeyes are good in catch-and-shoot denial but struggle more defending the rim.
However, I like the matchup more on the other end of the court.
Michigan is a pure drop-coverage defense that funnels perimeter ball-handlers into on-ball middle-of-the-floor creation, and the Wolverines have been a below-average dribble defense (.79 PPP allowed, 40th percentile, per Synergy).
Meanwhile, Ohio State is elite in on-ball ball-screen creation (.98 PPP, 98th percentile, per Synergy) at high volume behind Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr. and Micah Parrish.
Thornton has been on a heater, recently dropping 20 against Illinois, 31 against Nebraska and 17 against Washington.
In a great schematic matchup, I could see him balling out and willing his squad to a victory over their arch-rival.
