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GAME NOTES: The Ohio State Buckeyes shoot for their ninth straight home win tonight, as they entertain the Michigan Wolverines in a Big Ten affair at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes enter the tilt on a losing note, as they were stopped by Iowa, 53-48, on Saturday. The loss brought the team's three-game win streak to an end, dropping it to 15-7 overall and 6-3 in conference play. OSU though, now returns home, where it has gone 11-1, including 4-0 versus Big Ten foes. The Buckeyes have also won eight straight games at Value City Arena since falling to than top-ranked North Carolina (66-55) back on November 28th. As for Michigan, its struggles continued with a 77-65 setback to Minnesota on Thursday. It was the fifth loss in a row for the Wolverines, who dropped to 5-16 overall and a dismal 1-8 in league play. The squad now heads back out to the road, where it has won just once in eight tries. As for the all-time series, OSU owns an 82-69 edge over Michigan and that includes a 6-0 mark under head coach Thad Matta.

The Wolverines haven't done much this season and they are scoring just 65.0 ppg, while giving up 71.5 ppg. Manny Harris leads the team in both scoring (16.3 ppg) and steals (32), but his 70 turnovers are nearly double the next closest player on the roster. DeShawn Sims has provided Michigan with a solid second option and he turns in 13.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg. In the squad's last game, the Wolverines shot a lackluster 36.2 percent from the floor, including a poor 6-of-25 showing from long distance, as they were defeated by Minnesota. The team also had some problems hanging onto the ball, committing 17 turnovers. Harris paced the Wolverines in defeat with 19 points and three steals, although he also accounted for five turnovers.

The Buckeyes' defense has been sensational this season, as they are holding opposing teams to just 60.0 ppg and a mere 37.3 percent shooting from the field. Jamar Butler has been a big factor at both ends of the court for OSU and he leads the way with 15.0 ppg and 34 steals. He is also dishing out a team-high 6.2 apg, and with four more helpers he will become just the second Buckeye to reach 500 assists for his career. Freshman Kosta Koufos has benefited from Butler's vision and he turns in 13.4 ppg and a team-high 6.7 rpg. In the team's prior contest, the Buckeyes shot just 37.5 percent from the floor, as they were outlasted by Iowa. Three-point shooting also played a big part in the game, as OSU went just 3-of-21 from long range compared to an 11- of-25 effort by Iowa. Butler guided the team in the setback with 11 points and four assists, while Koufos had 10 points and seven rebounds.

OSU is clearly the pick here and it should be able to suffocate Michigan with its stingy defense, en route to the triumph.