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After a thrilling upset over the No. 3 seed Tennessee Volunteers last night, the No. 11 seed Michigan Wolverines have punched their ticket to San Antonio and the Sweet 16. It’s the fifth straight season Michigan has made the second weekend in the tournament and if there was any year it wouldn’t make it, it would have been this year.
But the Wolverines put the glass slipper on and it just so happened to fit; they are the blue-blooded Cinderella still dancing in the tourney. We aren’t sure who they will be playing on Thursday, but we do know it’ll be either the Villanova Wildcats or the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Wolverines have history with both teams. They have met with Villanova a couple times over the last few years. The Wildcats dominated Michigan from start to finish in the 2017-18 NCAA Championship, 79-62. But the Wolverines got their revenge in the 2018-19 regular season, blowing them out on their home court, 73-46. The two programs haven’t played each other since, but it would make for a rather intriguing Sweet 16 storyline if the Wildcats win today.
As for the Buckeyes...that one is pretty obvious. Michigan and Ohio State each won a game against each other this year, with each win coming on the road. The Buckeyes went to Ann Arbor in February and took down the Wolverines, 68-57. But Michigan, without head coach Juwan Howard and star center Hunter Dickinson, went to Columbus and stunned Ohio State to end the regular season, 75-69.
It’s March — anything can happen. This is the time of the year when brackets are busted and underdogs rise to the top. So will Ohio State, like the Wolverines last night, win as an underdog to advance to the Sweet 16? Or will Jay Wright’s Wildcats end the Buckeye’s dreams of playing their arch rival one more time this season?
Villanova vs. Ohio State
Date/Time: Sunday, March 20, 2:40 p.m.
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Penn.
TV/Streaming: CBS
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds: Villanova -5, O/U 132
Who are you rooting for to win this one? As much as it pains me to say this, I think an Ohio State win today would be awesome. What Michigan fan wouldn’t want to see the Wolverines take on the Buckeyes one final time this season for a shot at the Elite Eight? It would make for great theatre and would likely be among the top-watch tournament games this season.
However, watching Ohio State lose is never a bad thing, so this is truly a win-win scenario for Michigan fans everywhere.
Let us know your answer down in the comments, and be sure to comment along with us as the Villanova/Ohio State game plays out!