That team up north invades Columbus with the hope of stopping Ohio State's win streak at 14. Three top 10 teams lost yesterday and I'm sure _ichigan would love to add Ohio State to the list as only five teams remain undefeated. Tipoff is less than an hour away.
OSU is favored by 8 and the over/under is 149.5
Below is espin's preview.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) are looking to build on a 14-game winning streak when they host the Michigan Wolverines (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten) at 1:00 PM ET on Saturday, December 31, 2022. The Wolverines have won three games in a row. Cotie McMahon led Ohio State to an 81-48 victory against Northwestern on Wednesday, putting up 24 points in the game. Leigha Brown's 20 points helped lead Michigan to a 76-59 victory over Nebraska in the team's last action on Wednesday.
Ohio State Team Stats
Ohio State's 88.8 points per game this season out-paces the 57.2 points per contest Michigan allows. The Buckeyes are 14-0 when they score over 57 points. As a team, the Buckeyes shoot 69 percent from the free throw line, good for 11th in the Big Ten. Madison Greene leads Ohio State, knocking down 2.8 free throws a game while shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe.
Michigan Team Stats
The Wolverines score 77.5 points per game, more than the 61.9 Ohio State allows. When Michigan gets to the 62-point mark, it is 12-1 on the year. The Wolverines hit 78.8 percent of their free throws as a team, the second-best mark in the Big Ten and 17th-best in the country. Emily Kiser knocks down 4.8 free throws per game to lead Michigan while connecting on 84 percent of her attempts at the line.
Ohio State Players to Watch
Taylor Mikesell paces the Ohio State's scoring effort, averaging 17.9 points and 1.7 steals per game. Greene is the team's best passer, notching 5.0 assists to go with 10.9 points per game. The Buckeyes' leading rebounder is Taylor Thierry, who pulls down 5.9 boards per game in addition to averaging 13.0 points. When it comes to shooting the basketball, Mikesell is the best bet for Ohio State. She leads the team in made threes per game, hitting 3.1 three-pointers per contest while shooting 40 percent from downtown.
Michigan Players to Watch
Kiser averages 18.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, leading Michigan in both scoring and rebounding. The Wolverines also get 16.6 points and 1.8 steals from Laila Phelia, while Brown adds 15.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Michigan's three-point shooting efforts are led by Maddie Nolan, who averages 1.7 made three-pointers per game while hitting 32 percent of her shots from downtown.
