NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Thursday, February 3, 2011
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Michigan (13-9, 3-6 Big Ten) at #1 Ohio State (22-0, 9-0 Big Ten)
Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
Spread: Ohio State -16 ½
Over/Under: 130
The Value City Arena will be buzzing when the nation’s No.1 Ohio State Buckeyes host Big 10 rival, the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday night.
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Ohio State is leading the nation in scoring margin (20.9 ppg.) and fewest fouls a game (14.1). The Buckeyes are No. 2 in turnover margin (5.8), No. 3 in field goal percentage (.500) and No. 4 in assist to turnover ratio (+1.59). The Buckeyes also are No. 7 in scoring defense (57.5 ppg.) and No. 9 in fewest turnovers per game (10.8). Jon Diebler’s 47.7 percent shooting percentage from 3-point range is No. 7 nationally.
The Buckeyes are 9-0 in league play for the first time since the 1961-62 season and for the fourth time in history and are currently riding a perfect 22 game win streak.
Ohio State has four players, all starters, averaging double-figures offensively. Freshman Jared Sullinger leads the team with 18.0 points per game. Sullinger also is the squad’s top rebounder with 9.9 a contest. Junior William Buford is next with 13.5 ppg., followed by senior David Lighty (12.4 ppg.) and classmate Jon Diebler (11.3 ppg.). Diebler has made 63 3-pointers on the season on 132 attempts (.477).
Meanwhile, the Michigan Wolverines have recovered from a six-game losing skid, winning two consecutive Big 10 bouts including a 61-57 upset at rival Michigan State and an 87-73 rout of Iowa their last time out.
The Wolverines drained too many threes for Iowa to recover from, netting 42 points from downtown.They also spread the ball around with ease, and their 22 assists gave them an advantage en route to a season-high 87 points, far and away over their season average of 67.1 points per game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was the leading scorer for the Wolverines with 19 points in 30 minutes, including 15 points from beyond the arc. Darius Morris added 12 points, 10 big rebounds, and 11 dishes to register his first a triple-double of his career. Morris leads the Wolverines with 15.4 PPG to go along with 7.2 APG.
Ohio State leads the all-time series with the Wolverines 88-71 with the Buckeyes leading 50-26 in Columbus. Ohio State has won 12 of the last 14 meetings with Michigan. As a ranked team, Ohio State is 30-4 in games vs. the Wolverines, including wins in the last nine meetings as a ranked team.
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Matt’s Free Pick: Ohio State – On paper, the edge here has goes to Ohio State. The Buckeyes have a big advantage in scoring, 78 to 67 points per game, which means they’ll have no trouble putting points on the board. Michigan has already played Ohio State back on January 12 and lost 68-64. I don’t expect the outcome of this one to be any different, especially with home court advantage.
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Michigan Wolverines Betting Trends:
- Michigan is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Michigan’s last 6 games on the road
- Michigan is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Trends:
- Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ohio State’s last 6 games
- Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
- Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Michigan
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