Ohio State Basketball: How Buckeyes Stack Up with Michigan Ahead of B1G Clash

The Ohio State basketball team’s roller coaster of a season has taken a turn for the better with a date against archrival Michigan on Tuesday looming.

The Buckeyes are in the midst of a three-game winning streak after victories at Wisconsin, at Iowa and over Purdue. However, it was just a mere two weeks ago that it appeared as if Thad Matta’s squad was heading straight to the bubble with five losses in six games, including two inexplicable defeats against Penn State and Nebraska.

Matta’s decision to insert Sam Thompson into the starting lineup has proven to be genius in the short term.

While Thompson has helped the starting lineup by hitting all four of his three-point attempts in the last two games and providing solid defense, the primary reason the rotation shift has been so beneficial is Shannon Scott’s effectiveness off the bench.

Kyle Rowland of Eleven Warriors breaks down Scott’s recent play:

The statistical production has been welcomed in the past three contests, but the spark that Scott generates off the bench has been even more impressive. He plays lockdown defense and completely changes the tempo of the game just as the opponent is getting settled into the early flow of the proceedings.

So with Scott off the bench and Thompson starting, how do the new-look Buckeyes stack up against Michigan heading into the Big Ten showdown?

Record-wise, Ohio State is 19-5 overall and 6-5 in the conference while Michigan is 17-6 and 9-2 in…

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