The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Ohio State Northwestern prediction and pick.
Ohio State lost to San Diego State. The Buckeyes fell to the Aztecs in Maui in a high-scoring game. They have defeated Cincinnati and Texas Tech. They lost to North Carolina in a game they led most of the way. North Carolina's Pete Nance tied the game with a mid-range jump shot off an inbounds pass at the buzzer, sending the contest into overtime. The Buckeyes did not have answers for UNC in the extra period. Ohio State's best moment of the season came when it rallied late to beat Rutgers on a buzzer-beating shot. All in all, Ohio State has shown a tendency to play a lot of close games and not separate itself from the opponent, for better or worse. The Buckeyes are not an elite Big Ten team; they're in the middle tier and will try to make their way upward in the standings. They will need to win a lot of close games, especially on the road. This is exactly the kind of game they need to win.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Ohio State-Northwestern College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Ohio State-Northwestern Odds
Ohio State Buckeyes: -1.5 (-118)
Northwestern Wildcats: +1.5 (-104)
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
Why Ohio State Could Cover the Spread
This is a Northwestern team which lost to Pittsburgh by 29 points. The Wildcats are coming off a shaky five-point win over Brown a few days ago. This is not a strong, reliable team. The record looks good at 10-2, but Northwestern has played a lot of cupcakes. There's only one really good win for this team, and that's against Michigan State. Otherwise, Northwestern really hasn't accomplished much this season. Ohio State, which played a competitive game on the road at Duke before narrowly losing to the Blue Devils, and which nearly beat North Carolina, is a better team than Northwestern. At least, the Buckeyes should take the court and think they are better.
We have to remember that Northwestern has not returned to the NCAA Tournament since its 2017 journey to the Big Dance. Northwestern coach Chris Collins has not been able to build on that one achievement. He has spent the past five and a half years trying — and failing — to reclaim that standard. Northwestern is not a team which deserves the benefit of the doubt. Ohio State is usually an NCAA Tournament team and deserves more respect than Northwestern does.
Why Northwestern Could Cover the Spread
If you have been following Northwestern basketball closely, you know that Chris Collins has brought on former Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery as an assistant coach who focuses on the defensive side of the court. Lowery's defenses have been fantastic for NU this season. In 11 of the team's 12 games, the Wildcats have allowed 63 points or fewer. They have allowed more than 63 only one time. With that kind of consistency on defense, Northwestern has a chance to be competitive in every game it plays. The Wildcats should expect to contain an Ohio State offense which does not have elite high-end scorers.
Final Ohio State-Northwestern Prediction & Pick
This is a game in which you should expect the outcome to be decided in the final minute. Ohio State is not dominant, and Northwestern isn't trustworthy. Stay away from this game, but if you lean in one direction, go to Ohio State
Final Ohio State-Northwestern Prediction & Pick: Ohio State -1.5
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