The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Check out our Big Ten Tournament odds series for our Ohio State Wisconsin prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Ohio State Wisconsin.

The Ohio State Buckeyes finished in 13th place in the Big Ten at 3-6 through nine league games. It has been a brutal season for coach Chris Holtmann, who flourished at Butler and seemed like a home-run hire in Columbus when he arrived. Holtmann has produced some good teams at Ohio State, but when his 2021 team — a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament — got stunned by 15th-seeded Oral Roberts in a jarring upset, the Buckeyes and Holtmann did not recover. Ohio State has stumbled through the past few seasons, and while last season's team at least managed to make the NCAA Tournament, this season's team has fallen off a cliff. As you might be aware of, the second through 12th teams in the Big Ten this season were very tightly bunched. Northwestern, the No. 2 seed at this Big Ten Tournament, could have finished as low as ninth if it had lost to Rutgers on Sunday and a few other results had broken in a different direction. Maryland is the No. 6 seed at this tournament. It would have gotten the No. 2 seed if it had beaten Penn State. That's how little difference there is among teams two through 12 in the Big Ten this year. The fact that Ohio State was several notches below that 11-team cluster shows just how far this team has fallen.

Wisconsin is playing for its NCAA Tournament life. The Badgers are still alive, but they need at least two wins this week, first against Ohio State and then on Thursday against Iowa. They obviously can't get to the Iowa game unless they take care of the Buckeyes, so all the pressure is on coach Greg Gard and his UW players to pull through. This is not a situation Wisconsin is used to: having to scramble at the Big Ten Tournament to barely make the field of 68.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Ohio State-Wisconsin Big Ten Tournament odds.

Big Ten Tournament Odds: Ohio State-Wisconsin Odds

Ohio State Buckeyes: -2.5 (-102)

Wisconsin Badgers: +2.5 (-120)

Over: 131.5 (-110)

Under: 131.5 (-110)

How To Watch Ohio State vs. Wisconsin

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: Fox Sports app

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. PT

*Watch Ohio State-Wisconsin LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why Ohio State Could Cover the Spread

This is a tournamet game for the Buckeyes. They know their season could end. They were bad in the regular season, but they did find a little inspiration and motivation late in the journey, beating both Illinois and Maryland to create a little momentum. Ohio State is mentally refreshed and has nothing to lose. You might see this team play better, more relaxed, more confident basketball against a Wisconsin team which faces maximum pressure and stress in this game. One can easily envision a scenario in which Ohio State starts quickly out of the gates and makes Wisconsin nervous, carrying the run of play against the Badgers from start to finish.

Why Wisconsin Could Cover the Spread

The Badgers know they have to win this game if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. That's a powerful incentive for them against an Ohio State team which is playing out the string. Motivation is certainly on the Wisconsin side of the ledger in this game.

Also worth noting: Wisconsin is actually an underdog here? Why? The Badgers won in Columbus one month ago.

Final Ohio State-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick

Stay away from this game. Both teams are inconsistent. Wisconsin is the better choice if you insist on a pick, but Wisconsin is frankly not trustworthy. It very nearly lost to Minnesota this past Sunday.

Final Ohio State-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick: Wisconsin +2.5