The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (21-1, 11-1 Big Ten) travel to Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon to face the Ohio State Buckeyes (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten) in a rivalry rematch just 16 days after Michigan pulled away for a 74-62 victory at Crisler Center.
Our Michigan vs. Ohio State prediction has the projected starting lineups, details on how to watch, and a full score forecast with analysis for this must-watch Big Ten showdown as the Wolverines look to complete the sweep.
Michigan vs. Ohio State Projected Lineups and Key Matchups
Michigan Wolverines Starting Lineup
- G Elliot Cadeau (Jr., 5.4 apg)
- G Nimari Burnett (Sr.)
- F Yaxel Lendeborg (Gr., 14.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
- F Morez Johnson Jr. (Sr., 13.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
- C Aday Mara (So., 10.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
Ohio State Buckeyes Starting Lineup
- G Bruce Thornton (Sr., 19.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.6 apg)
- G John Mobley Jr. (So., 22 pts in first meeting)
- G Devin Royal (Jr., 5.6 rpg)
- F Christoph Tilly (Gr., 17 pts in first meeting)
- F A’mare Bynum (Fr.)
Michigan vs. Ohio State Prediction and Preview
Michigan has won seven straight games since its only setback of the season, and a 12-point win over the rival Buckeyes is included in that.
That may not sound like the most impressive of results at home, but when you consider that they misfired on 18 of their 23 three-point attempts, it’s a positive outcome.
In that game, the Wolverines were +9 on the glass, and if they can sustain that level of dominance, they should be able to get through today without much of a sweat.
Yaxel Lendeborg had 18 points and nine rebounds (six offensive) in the first meeting, and with him rounding into the elite form we know him to have, it’s hard to envision the home team keeping this tight without an outlier shooting day.
MORE: PFSN Men’s CBB Power Rankings: Michigan Gaining Steam as March Madness Edges Closer
Ohio State is in decent offensive form (over 80 points in three straight with a different leading scorer in every game), and Bruce Thornton, as always, is in the middle of things. Over that stretch, OSU’s top scorer has made 17-of-26 shots from the field (65.4%), showing the type of poise you’d expect.
That said, he was just 3-of-11 in that first matchup (10 points in 34 minutes) and should expect to see coverages shaded his way again. I believe he can have a better game this time around, though expected scoring outages are to be expected given the attention he’ll see.
I’ll say one of those droughts comes at a bad time in the second half, allowing the road team to get some distance.
Prediction: Michigan 80, Ohio State 73
How To Watch Michigan vs. Ohio State
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Arena: Value City Arena
- TV Channel: CBS
- Live Stream: CBS Sports App, Paramount+
- Radio: Michigan Radio Network; Ohio State Radio Network
