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Michigan basketball vs. Ohio State prediction: Can U-M make it 6 straight wins?

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1 year ago

February 15, 2025

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Michigan basketball vs. Ohio State prediction: Can U-M make it 6 straight wins?

Michigan men’s basketball team sits atop the Big Ten standings but faces a tough road test against rival Ohio State.
The game holds extra significance as Michigan shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. transferred from Ohio State last year.
Ohio State, while possessing a losing conference record, has notable wins against Purdue and Kentucky.

It’s getting toward crunch time in the men’s basketball regular season and the Wolverines remain in the thick of it.

To get more specific, No. 17 Michigan (19-5, 11-2 Big Ten) isn’t just in the fight, but has the upper-hand, currently sitting alone atop the Big Ten standings by a half game over Purdue, which U-M just beat 75-73 at home on Tuesday.

That said, U-M may be winners of five in a row, however there’s no rest for the weary, as the Wolverines schedule remains loaded. Up next, rival Ohio State (15-10, 7-7) on the road at Schottenstein Center in Columbus. While the game is one that’s always circled on the calendar, this year it has additional meaning as shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. transferred from OSU to Michigan last April.

He spoke at length with the Free Press earlier this week about his expected return and all of the emotions that come along with it. Friday afternoon, he met with the rest of the media, and doubled-down on what he’d told the Freep just days prior.

“For me, it’s more about bragging rights,” Gayle said of the importance of the contest individually. “To be able to play against some of my best friends. Hopefully, we can get a W.”

‘Be prepared for it’

Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter tried to tell most of the new comers about the physicality of the Big Ten, but it didn’t quite work. U-M had to get punched in the mouth by Purdue on the road before the message truly took hold.

This time around, Burnett believes his teammates are heeding some of the warnings he’s given about going to OSU.

“Nothing that I remember verbatim,” Burnett said Friday at Crisler Center. “I do remember it warranted a reaction. One time, against Ohio State, I don’t remember what was exactly said but I think it was along the line of family members. And that was like ‘alright bro, you crossin’ the line’ … but yeah, I told the guys to be prepared for it.”

As for the Buckeyes as a group, it’s an underrated team whose record doesn’t tell the full story. Jake Diebler’s squad, while just 7-7 in the league, has a road win at Purdue as well as a 20-point spanking of Kentucky earlier this year. Unlike Michigan, OSU has been on the wrong end of tight games in the league, with three losses by two points or less in the Big Ten just since the turn of the calendar.

Though Michigan enters play at No. 22 according to KenPom and though its record is a full four games better than Ohio State, the Buckeyes aren’t far behind at No. 29 overall according to KenPom, ranked in the top 30 both in offensive efficiency (No. 29) and defensive efficiency (No. 30).

Bruce Thorton, Gayle Jr.’s former roommate, is the “head of the snake” according to assistant coach Justin Joyner, he leads the team at 17.3 points per game. But Devin Royal, a big man averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, is also a problem, as is the backcourt duo of John Mobley Jr. (13.4 points) and San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish (12.5 points).

“They’re a really good team with really good personnel,” Joyner said Friday. “They’ve got really good guard play, obviously. Bruce Thorton is a special player … (Mobley) is a gamer and then Micah Parrish … winning DNA, an elite shooter … so their back court provides a lot of potential problem and their front court knows who they are.”

Keeping the focus

As for Gayle, there is absolutely no question about the reception he’s going to get on Sunday.

He said he received death threats as well as many nasty DMs, but his former head coach hopes that doesn’t happen this weekend − he feels there are too many things for his team and fanbase still to focus on.

“I trust that we’ll operate with class because Roddy gave his all when he was here,” Diebler recently said. “Ohio State was important to him. I think the game needs to be about the rivalry and the game. It doesn’t need to be about Roddy Gayle.”

That said, people are people, so naturally, this game will be about Gayle Jr. Even when Andrew Dakich, son of former IU player and long time color commentator Dan Dakich, transferred from U-M to OSU back in 2017 as a rather irrelevant reserve guard, he still received vitriol.

Gayle, on the other hand, led OSU in scoring last year. Now, he’s struggling in Ann Arbor with his shooting − just 1 of 20 on 3-pointers the past 10 games − and there’s little question the fans are going to remind him of that.

“Not as much as it’s about to be,” Gayle laughed when asked if he himself has ever specifically been boo’d in an away arena before. “But I mean, normally I’m pretty good at tuning it out. … Just try to do as much as I can to help my team win.”

Prediction

Michigan has toughened up since its trip to West Lafayette, increasing its physicality and finding a slightly tweaked rotation that’s paid dividends early. That said, the Wolverines have still been in five straight games that have been decided in the final two minutes of play, and no team on earth, no matter how talented, can win those every single time. U-M had the juice of the crowd behind it on Tuesday, but a rivalry game against a team that could use a signature win to solidify its NCAA Tournament seeding, well unfortunately for U-M, there will be no chance to troll with “just like football.” The pick: Ohio State 74, Michigan 71

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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Thousands head to Columbus for 23rd annual Home Improvement Show at Ohio Expo Center

Published

10 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Thousands head to Columbus for 23rd annual Home Improvement Show at Ohio Expo Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Thousands of people are expected to head to downtown Columbus for the 23rd annual Home Improvement Show this weekend.

Organizers say visitors can find ideas for everything from small interior design projects to major renovations.

The event is being held at the Ohio Expo Center and includes seminars, exhibits and demonstrations from local and national companies.

The show begins at noon Friday and runs until 6 p.m.

It continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adult tickets cost $5 at the door.

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Matt Patricia sought stability in return as Ohio State football defensive coordinator

Published

23 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Matt Patricia sought stability in return as Ohio State football defensive coordinator

Matt Patricia’s contract extension earlier this offseason included a pay raise that figures to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football this year.

But Patricia, who will make $3.75 million in guaranteed compensation as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2026, also held an appreciation for his situation.

“Ohio State is such a special place, not only just the history, the tradition, the football program, the school, but the people here,” Patricia said. “Having a chance to have a little stability with my family, it’s hard when you have to move your family around, your kids and the new school and all that.”

Before he joined Ryan Day’s staff last year, the 51-year-old Patricia had bounced around as an assistant in the NFL for much of the decade.

He spent 2021 and 2022 in a variety of roles with the New England Patriots, then a year as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He took off from coaching in 2024. The frequent relocation gave him perspective.

“We had an unbelievable experience settling into Columbus,” Patricia said. “Everybody’s been so nice and welcoming. It feels like home. It’s a big deal for us to be in a place where everybody’s happy. That’s really important.”

Patricia had a significant impact on the Buckeyes in his first year replacing Jim Knowles. Despite heavy roster attrition following their national championship season, he kept the defense atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the second straight season, no one allowed fewer points than Ohio State.

The 9.3 points per game allowed by the Buckeyes were the fewest by any defense since Alabama in 2011.

The success made Patricia a hot commodity on the coaching market, rebuilding his reputation as a sharp and creative football mind only a decade removed from his tenure as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.

Patricia said he heard about opportunities in the NFL and elsewhere across the college football landscape, though none of them would pry him away from Ohio State.

“It wasn’t necessarily something where you’re looking to leave,” Patricia said, “but you do have to listen when those things come up. I’m just glad everything worked out.”

His challenge in his second season mirrors his previous one, as the Buckeyes are again managing the loss of eight starters on defense.

But unlike 2025, they have fewer returning pieces, relying on a larger class of transfers to help fill the holes on the depth chart.

“With as much coming into the program for the first time, not only are you trying to catch them up on the football scheme, but you’re also trying to catch them up on everything else,” Patricia said. “This is how we work, this is how we do things, this is the standard we’re looking for, this is how we practice, this is how we prepare, this is how we go to school. That has to be also taught. It becomes a lot, but that’s why you bring in the right guys that have the mental makeup to do all that.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

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Which central Ohio schools get the best results for their money?

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Which central Ohio schools get the best results for their money?

Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?

On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.

However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.

Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.

Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.

“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”

Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.

“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”

Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?

The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.

The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.

The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.

Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):

Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85

Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report

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