ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 3-ranked Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team (17-1, 7-1 Big Ten) returns to a sold-out Crisler Center on Friday, Jan. 23, to host Ohio State (12-5, 4-3 Big Ten) in a nationally televised Big Ten matchup.
The night will feature a special halftime ceremony honoring Michigan legend Trey Burke, as his iconic No. 3 jersey is raised to the rafters at Crisler Arena.
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This marks the sixth jersey to be honored by the program.
The first 5,000 fans will receive a mini-replica banner.
Only No. 33, worn by Cazzie Russell, is officially retired.
→ From Final Four to NBA: Michigan basketball honors Trey Burke with No. 3 jersey raised to rafters
The game is the first of two meetings between Michigan and Ohio State this season and marks the eighth consecutive sellout at Crisler Center.
The Wolverines will travel to Columbus for the return game on Feb. 8.
Michigan’s Dusty May and Ohio State’s Jake Diebler jointly petitioned the Big Ten to establish a permanent home-and-home series between the schools, which the conference approved.
Michigan now has two ongoing rivalry series in the Big Ten: Michigan State and Ohio State.
Michigan trails the all-time series against Ohio State, 84-108, but has won four of the last five matchups.
Last season, Michigan earned an 86-83 road win at Ohio State’s Value City Arena, led by double-doubles from Vladislav Goldin (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Danny Wolf (17 points, 11 rebounds).
With the game tied at 80, Roddy Gayle Jr.’s free throws and a Goldin putback sealed the victory.
Michigan is in the middle of a three-game homestand that began with an 86-72 win over Indiana.
After hosting Ohio State, the Wolverines will face undefeated Nebraska in a top-10 clash before embarking on a road-heavy stretch with seven of their final 11 Big Ten games away from home.
Following a 14-game win streak snapped by Wisconsin, Michigan has won three straight games by double digits: at Washington (82-72), at Oregon (81-71), and against Indiana (86-72).
Michigan’s season stands out as one of the most dominant in program history, featuring 14 wins by 10 or more points, 10 by 20+, eight by 30+, six by 40+ (a Big Ten record), and one by 50+ (a 102-50 win over La Salle).
Elliot Cadeau has scored in double figures in three of his last four games, tying his career best twice with 19 points against Wisconsin and Indiana.
His six three-pointers in those games have pushed him to the team lead with 30 made from beyond the arc.
Michigan’s “Big Three” — Yaxel Lendeborg (14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds per game), Morez Johnson Jr. (13.8 points, 6.9 rebounds), and Aday Mara (10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds) — combine for 42% of the team’s scoring and more than half of its rebounding.
Lendeborg continues to fill the stat sheet, averaging 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 88.1% from the free-throw line.
Mara, who averages 2.6 blocks per game, has recorded at least one block in every game this season (47 total), with multiple blocks in 15 games — including 13 of his last 14 and three straight games with three blocks.
He is seven blocks shy of his single-season best of 53, set at UCLA in 2024-25.
In the recent game against Indiana, Michigan’s “Big Three” accounted for nine of the team’s 14 assists: Lendeborg had four, Johnson three (tying his career best), and Mara two.
Tipoff against Ohio State is scheduled for 8 p.m.