Ohio State
#3 Michigan
Buckeyes and Wolverines Set for Friday Night Showdown
1/22/2026 2:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ohio State at #3 Michigan
Date: January 23, 2026
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Crisler Center – Ann Arbor, Mich.
TV: FOX
Listen: Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Rosters: Ohio State | Michigan
Season Stats: Ohio State | Michigan
Game Notes: Ohio State Media Center
TICKETS: Season, single-game, group and mini plans are available for all men’s basketball games this season. Visit OhioStateBuckeyes.com or call the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office in the Schottenstein Center at 1-800-GOBUCKS.
EUGENE, Ore. – Ohio State heads north to take on rival Michigan in a marquee Friday night matchup. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game will televised nationally on FOX Gus Johnson, Ohio State All-American Jim Jackson and Allison Williams will call the action.
The game can also be heard on the Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield. Paul Keels and former Buckeye captain Ron Stokes are on the call.
- Friday’s game will be the 193rd all-time meeting between the two schools. Officially, Ohio State leads the series 102-83 taking into account the vacated games.
- The teams have split the last 24 meetings (12-12) and Ohio State has outscored Michigan by an average of just 2.0 points per game in the contests.
- Last year, Michigan had the final blow in a back-and-forth battle, winning 86-83 on Feb. 16 in Columbus. Bruce Thornton had 17 points and dished out a game-high six assists with zero turnovers. John Mobley Jr. knocked down three three-pointers and finished with 16 points.
- The Buckeyes are coming off an 82-74 overtime victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night. Mobley Jr. led the Buckeyes in scoring for the second consecutive game, scoring 26 points on 5-of-11 from long range. Thornton recorded yet another 20-point game, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds, a career-high four steals and three assists. Colin White had just two points but his defense as well as a steal and lay-up in overtime were key in the win.
- The Buckeyes have out-rebounded their last four opponents by an average of 10 rebounds per game. Michigan is Top 15 in the country in rebounding margin (+9.6) and are one of the tallest teams in the country. Rebounding will be a key factor on Friday.
- Mobley Jr. is coming off back-to-back 25+ point efforts as he also scored a career-high 28 points in the win over UCLA last Saturday. The last Buckeye to have 25 or more points in three consecutive games was Keita Bates-Diop during his Big Ten Player of the Year season in 2018.
- Mobley Jr. has made 53 three-pointers on the season, third-most in the Big Ten, and more than half of them (28) have come in the last seven games.
- Thornton is one of just four players in the Big Ten with nine or more games of 20+ points this season (Martinelli or NW, Tyson of Minn. and Stirtz of Iowa). In addition to his career-high scoring average this season (20.7 ppg), Thornton is also averaging a career-best 5.4 rebounds per game. Over the last six games, he’s pulling-down nearly seven rebounds a game.
- Christoph Tilly scored his 1,000th career point on Tuesday night against Minnesota and is averaging 12.0 ppg. He too is averaging a career-best 5.3 rebounds per game this season.
- Michigan enters the game at 17-1 overall and has the second-best scoring margin in the country at +23.7. Four Wolverines are averaging in double figures, led by transfer Yaxel Lendeborg at 14.1 ppg. Former Buckeye Roddy Gayle Jr. is averaging 9.2 ppg off the bench.
#GoBucks
