Basketball Preview: Ohio State Looks to Close Out Regular Season With Sweep of Michigan on Senior Day | Eleven – Eleven Warriors

The Buckeyes already beat Michigan in Ann Arbor on Feb. 12, a 68-57 win on the road, but now they’ll have to notch another win against the maize and blue if they want to save themselves from playing an extra game in the Big Ten Tournament.

Michigan has traded wins and losses in each of its past seven outings, most recently losing to Iowa by double digits at home just two days after beating Michigan State by 17 on the road. The Wolverines have been without head coach Juwan Howard for the past four games after his postgame altercation with the Wisconsin coaching staff on Feb. 20, and Howard will not be on the sideline on Sunday either.

With a 16-13 record overall and a 10-9 mark in conference play, Michigan’s disappointing season has landed it in eighth place in the Big Ten standings heading into the final day of the regular season, but a win at the Schott would still feel sweet for the Wolverines nonetheless.

“Big weekend ahead of us here with Senior Day and playing a really good Michigan team that I know after watching them the past few games and playing them before, I know we’re gonna get the best version of a really talented, gifted, well-coached Michigan team,” Chris Holtmann said Saturday.

Ohio State stopped its two-game losing skid with an emphatic win over Michigan State on Thursday, and will try to make it back-to-back home wins to gain some steam heading into Indianapolis next week.

What to Watch For

Bucks must win for chance at double bye

Besides it being the final home game of the season against the Buckeyes’ archrival, there are some tangible postseason stakes on the line in this one as well. Ohio State must beat Michigan to have a chance at securing a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, although a win alone won’t guarantee that. The Buckeyes, who are fifth in the conference standings, also need Iowa to lose to Illinois at 7:30 p.m. Sunday to ensure they jump up to seed No. 4.

Injury issues inside

Ohio State has been down both of its top centers for most of the past two games, as Zed Key (ankle) and Kyle Young (concussion protocol) continue to recover from injury issues. That didn’t hurt the Buckeyes much against Michigan State, as Joey Brunk had a monster performance in place of the aforementioned pair, but the Spartans do not possess an inside presence like Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson. If neither Key nor Young can go, Brunk will have a much tougher assignment on Sunday, although his confidence will be at an all-time high after his last outing.

“We’re not sure on either guy. We’ll know a little bit more after practice today, but at this point we’re not sure if either guy will be available,” Holtmann said. “It’s really to be determined after practice today. I know Kyle would obviously love to be out there given what this place means to him, but if we need to wait another day or two, then that’s gonna be the doctor’s call.”

Senior Day festivities

The Buckeyes should have a postgame Senior Day ceremony unlike any in recent memory on Sunday, as Ohio State’s roster contains nine seniors. Six of those seniors – Kyle Young, Justin Ahrens, Cedric Russell, Jamari Wheeler, Joey Brunk and Jimmy Sotos – will all be honored during Senior Day festivities, as will E.J. Liddell, who is a junior but will be entering the NBA draft after this season. Seniors Harrison Hookfin, Justice Sueing and Seth Towns will not be going through Senior Day festivities, so it’s still possible each of them could return for an additional year of eligibility. But for many Ohio State players – perhaps even Malaki Branham if the freshman decides to turn pro – Sunday will be the final home game of their careers.

Three Important Buckeyes

E.J. Liddell

Liddell went off against Michigan in the last meeting, scoring 28 points as he hit all 11 free throw attempts he took on the night. The junior forward is also averaging 23.5 points per game in his last two entering Sunday’s matchup, as the fatigue that plagued him in Ohio State’s Feb. 27 loss to Maryland seems to have worn off. Just like always, Liddell will be crucial for the Buckeyes’ success, and the future NBA draft pick will want to perform well in his final home game at Ohio State.

RELATED E.J. Liddell One of Five Finalists for Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award

Malaki Branham

After his three-game streak of scoring 20-plus points against Iowa, Indiana and Illinois, Branham’s production tapered off in the Buckeyes’ back-to-back upset losses prior to Thursday. But the freshman returned to form with a 22-point night against Michigan State in which he shot 9-for-16 from the field. Branham struggled in his last matchup with Michigan, scoring just six points in the Buckeye win, but he can rectify that effort at home on Sunday.

Caught both defenders with the poster @OhioStateHoops @MalakiBranham (: @darenscarberry) pic.twitter.com/j62nNRmkLV

— SLAM University (@slam_university) March 4, 2022

Joey Brunk

In his first start since November, Brunk blew any expectations out of the water on Thursday, dropping 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting to triple his previous season-high scoring output for the Buckeyes. Holtmann liked the matchup for Brunk against Michigan State’s bigs, and the sixth-year veteran exploited it every which way in the double-digit win. But Brunk, who wasn’t on the Spartan scouting report, will be much more a known commodity for the Wolverines coming into the regular season finale.

“Joey will play and Joey will play an important role,” Holtmann said. “And I think depending on our depth, or lack thereof, we’ll see what his total minutes are. But I know he’ll be ready.”

Michigan State forward Gabe Brown says Joey Brunk “wasn’t even on the scouting report.”

Brunk scored 18 for Ohio State tonight.

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) March 4, 2022

Three Important Wolverines

Hunter Dickinson

Dickinson had a ho-hum 14-point performance in the first matchup with the Buckeyes, shooting 7-for-17 while the Wolverines took a lopsided loss. But the second-year big man has been on a tear in his last two outings, putting up 33 points in a win against Michigan State before dropping 21 and 11 against Iowa on Thursday. Dickinson shot a combined 68.8 percent from the floor in those two contests, and with two Buckeye bigs potentially out on Sunday, he might be able to continue his hot streak in Columbus.

Eli Brooks

While the Wolverine roster collectively struggled to score against Ohio State the first time around, senior guard Eli Brooks had a prolific night with 17 points and five assists. Holtmann admitted recently that Branham had trouble guarding Brooks in that game, and it’s possible he could give the Buckeyes some issues once again in the rematch.

Caleb Houstan

The five-star freshman wing was something of a non-factor against the Buckeyes in the first game, scoring just five points on 2-for-5 shooting. But in the last four games, Houstan has had one of his best stretches of the year, averaging 17.3 points per game and shooting 55 percent from 3-point range. If the 6-foot-8 forward keeps that up in the forthcoming matchup, Michigan will be much more dynamic on offense than it was in the last game against Ohio State.

How It Plays Out

Line: Ohio State -4, O/U 144.5

The Buckeyes have made a habit of defying my predictions as of late, but they’ll certainly carry some momentum into this one after beating Michigan State by double digits on Thursday. Unfortunately for Ohio State, that doesn’t negate the fact that it could be without two of its top big men once again, which won’t make things easy against Dickinson and Michigan’s other long forwards. Still, I think Liddell, Branham and company will have another big day on offense and find a way to pull out a win in what should be one of the best home atmospheres of the season at the Schott.

Prediction: Ohio State 77, Michigan 73