There is only one team in Division I men’s basketball that ranks in the top five in both adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency, according to BartTorvik.com. It’s Michigan. And the Wolverines will return to the court Friday to try to improve on those numbers, and extend their winning streak to four, when they host Ohio State in a game scheduled to tip a little after 8 p.m. ET.
OSU forward Colin White provided the best pregame quote.
“We hate Michigan, so we’re coming out for blood,” he said following the Buckeyes’ 82-74 win over Minnesota earlier this week. “We’re going up there to win — and we’re going to have fun doing it.”
Perhaps. Crazier things have certainly happened. But, for whatever it’s worth, Michigan is listed as a 15.5-point favorite, meaning the odds are stacked heavily against Ohio State.
The Wolverines, now 17-1, are well-rounded and capable of beating opponents in a variety of ways — but the strength is in the frontcourt. Their top three scorers are frontcourt-starters — specifically Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and Aday Mara. Two of them are shooting above 67% from the field. All three are shooting above 51%. They are the biggest reasons Michigan leads the nation in offensive 2-point field goal percentage (63.8) and defensive 2-point field goal percentage (40.7).
Michigan is No. 5 in Friday’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 13th consecutive day. After the Wolverines play Ohio State, they will turn their attention to hosting Nebraska on Tuesday inside the Crisler Center. Nebraska is 19-0 and ranked second in the Top 25 And 1.
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Cody Nagel
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