Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
#4 Michigan Wolverines vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes, Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, March 12, 2011, 1:40 pm Eastern, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Ohio State -11
Current Line: Ohio State -11
Opening Total: 130
Current Total: 128.5
Money Line: Ohio State -600 / Michigan +475
A Big Ten matchup between the fourth-seeded Michigan Wolverines (20-12) and top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes (30-2) has not meant much on the football field or the basketball court in a while. But the winner of Saturday’s semifinal game between the two schools in the conference tournament will advance to the championship game on Sunday and have a shot at an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Michigan was clearly on the bubble going into the Big Ten tournament but should have at least earned an at-large invitation to the Big Dance after beating #5 Illinois 60-55 in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Wolverines rallied back from a 34-23 halftime deficit against the Illini by scoring 21 of the game’s last 25 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. led a fairly balanced scoring attack with 16 points while Darius Morris had 15 and Zack Novak added 14.
Earlier, the defending tournament champion Buckeyes (-11) struggled with #8 Northwestern before putting the Wildcats away in overtime, 67-61. They failed to beat the line for the first time in five games and saw the UNDER cash for the first time in six games. Ohio State seems like a lock for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament but will not last long against better competition playing like it did on Friday.
Freshman phenom Jared Sullinger struggled mightily with his shooting from the field for the Buckeyes but made up for it on the glass and at the free-throw line. Sullinger made just 2 of 12 baskets he attempted but sank 16 of 18 free throws while grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds. The team as a whole shot just 32.2 percent from the field, making 19 of 59 attempts. Sharpshooters William Buford and Jon Diebler combined to make 7 of 24 shots, including only 2 of 10 from 3-point range. However, they did dominate the boards with a 41-24 advantage and scored 10 more points from the charity stripe than Northwestern.
Michigan’s main challenge against Ohio State will be getting second shots. The Wolverines have been outrebounded in seven straight games while the Buckeyes have had an edge on the glass in their last six. Still, Michigan has found a way to keep things relatively close and cover the spread in the last five meetings with Ohio State. The Wolverines are 5-0 against the spread in the last five meetings with the last three games decided by less than 10 points. They have also covered their last six games overall, going 11-1 ATS in their last 12.
Now that you have read this Big Ten tournament betting preview featuring Ohio State & Michigan, check out the NCAA basketball odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
