One down. The (relative) calm before the storm continues on as the Michigan Wolverines go through a two-week stretch as heavy favorites before running into a gauntlet of equally talented giants. Up next in this four-game slate is a trip to Columbus as the Ohio State Buckeyes will be looking for revenge after falling in Ann Arbor a couple Fridays ago.
Ohio
No. 2 Michigan at Ohio State College Basketball Preview
While some do not like the idea of two of the three two-play slots locked into rivalry games each year, sports are just more fun when the stakes are a little bit higher. Currently sitting precariously on the bubble, there is nothing Ohio State would like more than to significantly bolster its resume by knocking off its No. 2-ranked bitter rival. Michigan is the favorite here, but do not expect anything easy.
No. 2 Michigan (21-1, 11-1) at Ohio State (15-7, 7-5)
Date & Time: Sunday, Feb. 8, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
TV/Streaming: CBS
The first game was uncomfortably close for 30-plus minutes, with the Buckeye actually leading with 10 minutes left in the game. Michigan pulled away late and won by 12, getting 18 points (and 9 rebounds and 4 assists) from Yaxel Lendeborg, interior production from Morez Johnson and Aday Mara, and impressive defense from across the roster, particularly late.
Michigan 2PT Shooting: 62.7% (1st B1G)
Old reliable was on display against Penn State (67.6%), and just about every conference game except for the win over Michigan State has featured impressive shooting inside the arc. That was certainly the case against Ohio State last time, as the Wolverines converted a ridiculous 75.9% of their attempts. This helped offset a pretty cold 5-for-23 effort from deep, but as we have discussed before, those sort of outputs seem much more likely than the hot long-range shooting on Thursday.
Ohio State is 12th defensively in conference play, but has been the fourth-worst against two-point shooting, which is a bad combination here. Last time, Michigan took 24 of its 29 two-point shots at the rim and converted 24 of those, and even 4 of 5 jumpers went in. There is no reason to deviate from this plan, and the Buckeyes are coming off four straight games where opponents have feasted in this department (66.4%).
Michigan’s worst enemy would be the temptation to keep launching from three unnecessarily. Ohio State is decent at three prevention, while the Wolverines are very volatile. The real issue is the opportunity cost: when twos are falling at such a high clip, taking shots from deep just is not worth the trade off. Michigan still attempts plenty of threes a game, but it must lean into the mismatch down low again.
Ohio State Adj. Offense: 4th B1G (22nd overall)
The reason Ohio State is on the edge of NCAA Tournament conversation is the offense. There is not really a singular area that jumps out — each of Kenpom’s four factors rank between fifth and ninth in conference play — so really this is just an all-around solid attack. The Buckeyes do not heavily favor threes, and can move the ball well but do not rack up a ton of assists, doing all this at an average tempo.
What is working then? Definitely Bruce Thornton, who ranks 13th nationally in ORtg thanks to his 63.6% effective field goal rate. He has made 40% of his threes this year, as has John Mobley (41.2%), who is the other volume shooter from deep. In general, though, Ohio State will try to find mismatches then drive to the rim, though plenty attempts will come from the midrange too.
In Ann Arbor, this approach was simply not sufficient against the Michigan defense. Thornton scored just 10 points (after logging 20-plus in his previous three games) and the Buckeyes were merely average from two (50.0%) and three (29.7%). Nothing came easily in that game, and unless the home team is able to convert a disproportionate number of tough looks, I think history repeats itself on Sunday.
AI influencers are all over your feed
AI influencers may not change minds — but they can amplify division and inflame political tensions online.
We can’t believe our eyes
Re “AI political ads bring fears over ’26 election,” May 27: I fully support House Bill 185. It probably doesn’t go far enough. This is a prime example of “don’t believe everything you see on the Internet.”
I am being inundated with emails and text messages from organizations and people I do not know. I block them as spam, but it doesn’t seem to do any good. About the only way to combat this is to attend a live debate between candidates, but most people do not have the time to do that.
I use AI every day with caution. We need better ways of identifying AI-created falsehoods.
Edwin Heller, Dublin
Tell voters what’s real
Re “AI political ads bring fears over ’26 election,” May 27: I don’t think AI should be used in political ads, but there is no way to stop it.What we can and should do is require campaigns to certify that their ad did or did not use AI to generate or edit content that:
- Makes a real person appear to say or do something they didn’t say or do.
- Alters footage of a real event or place.
- Generates a realistic-looking scene that didn’t actually occur.
We grade movie content. Why not political advertising? The public needs a way to help distinguish truth from fiction.
Richard Wires, Columbus
Ban political ads, already
Re “AI political ads bring fears over ’26 election,” May 27: Political ads should be banned. Those using – AI-generated or not. I don’t trust anything I read online anymore, and especially political ads.
People read/see those ads, don’t research the information in them, and vote according to, oftentimes, the misinformation in those ads. The huge amounts of money being spent on ads is sinful!
Lyn Miller, Smithville
Food cuts hurt hungry families
While President Donald Trump and Republicans continually find new ways to enrich their billionaire funders and friends, they’ve made the largest cuts to SNAP in history, making it more difficult for over 40 million Americans, including 16 million children and 8 million seniors, to access healthy foods and forcing them to rely on the cheapest foods (usually the most ultra-processed}.
They’re especially hurting American children and setting them up for worse health outcomes than previous generations by making it harder for them to access healthy foods.
They’ve cut funding to support farm-to-school programs and food banks, passed the largest cut to food assistance in history, and are pushing to end the decades-old practice of putting fluoride in water to reduce tooth decay. Most appalling, they’ve even allowed food companies to use cancer-causing chemicals in snack foods targeted to children.
Meanwhile, they’ve allowed food companies to take advantage of inflation to raise prices to increase their profits. A Kroger executive suggested that inflation is good for business when he testified the chain has hiked the milk and eggs prices beyond the costs from inflation.
This is one more reason that we must do all we can to get Republicans out of office.
Russ Smith, Strongsville
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – The FBI was part of a search of multiple properties related to Stansley Mining on Friday, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed.
A Public Affairs Officer for the FBI Cleveland Division confirmed to the 13 Action News I-TEAM that authorities searched a business in the area of Siliva Road in Sylvania, as well as property in Ottawa County by State Route 590 in Benton Township.
Officials with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation told the 13 Action News I-TEAM that they executed a search warrant at the property in Benton Township. Ohio BCI’s environmental division and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency were involved in the search.
It’s unclear exactly what officials were looking for. The FBI spokesperson said there wasn’t additional information to share at this point, but added there is no threat to the public.
Stansley Mining is the entity that owns Rocky Ridge Development, a company at the center of extensive 13 Action News coverage after its South Toledo mining operation was improperly working in a residentially-zoned area.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — A critically acclaimed name in Cleveland’s food scene is making a comeback of sorts and entering a new era in the food and restaurant business.
After the official closure of Melt Bar and Grilled locations across the area in late 2024, founder Matt Fish is stepping back into the restaurant business with a brand-new concept in Ohio City.
More Melts close
Fish is preparing to open “Proof Public House” inside the former Proof BBQ space along Lorain Avenue.
The new restaurant and bar is expected to officially open in mid-June after recently obtaining its food service license.
The announcement was just made on the restaurant’s official Instagram page this week.
But Fish says this project is very different from Melt’s previous projects, with more than a dozen locations across Ohio.
“I’m starting from scratch. Brand new concept. Brand new feeling, brand new attitude,” Fish said. “I wanna get back to basics.”
Fish describes Proof Public House as a punk rock-inspired neighborhood bar and restaurant with elevated comfort food, craft drinks, and an evolving seasonal menu.
“I’ve always wanted to get back to my roots,” Fish said. “I’ve always wanted to get back to a small place and recapture that magic of what Melt Bar and Grilled was when it first opened up.”
The longtime chef and restaurateur says music and creativity will help define the atmosphere and capture the essence.
Fish grew up on punk rock music and is also a drummer.
He says Cleveland’s history and punk rock roots make this latest project feel even more special.
The menu, he says, will feature chef-driven comfort food with rotating seasonal dishes and a specialized beverage program.
“Just have fun with the menu,” Fish said. “The beverage program will be very seasonal. It’s gonna be very evolving.”
Although many fans still associate Fish with the iconic grilled cheese sandwiches that helped make Melt Bar and Grilled a Northeast Ohio staple after opening in 2006, he says this new chapter is about moving forward.
“That part of my life is over and gone, but it was something special to so many of us,” Fish said.
Still, longtime Melt fans may notice subtle nods to the past.
Fish hinted there would be occasional “odes to Melt” appearing on the menu in the future, in some capacity.
He also credits former Proof BBQ and current Visible Voice Books owner Dave Ferrante for encouraging him to jump back into the hospitality business.
Fish quietly consulted on projects behind the scenes after Melt’s closure, including work connected to Visible Voice.
“I want to do something for myself, do something for the City of Cleveland, do something for my family and friends,” Fish said.
Proof Public House is expected to announce an official opening date soon.
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