It is a loaded slate of college basketball with plenty of high-profile matchups as the regular season comes to a close. Tipping off at 5:30 p.m. ET, the Indiana Hoosiers will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in a Big Ten matchup.
Looking at the odds, Ohio State enters as a 4.5-point favorite and holds -180 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. Indiana holds +150 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at 148.5 points.
Indiana vs. Ohio State prediction, preview
Indiana is 18-12 this season and has gone 9-10 in Big Ten conference play. They picked up a convincing 77-47 victory over Minnesota in the previous game, but lost four straight games before this. On the season, Indiana has gone 14-16 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 17 of their 30 games played.
Darian DeVries’ squad is producing 78.7 points per game, which ranks 113th out of the 365 qualifying D1 teams. The Hoosiers also rank 61st in offensive rating, 63rd in field goal percentage, 145th in three-point percentage, and 24th in three-point attempts per game. Defensively, opponents are scoring 71.5 points per game against Indiana. This ranks 114th in the country, and they also rank 155th in defensive rating, 72nd in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 101st in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Lamar Wilkerson leads the team with 21.1 points per game, along with 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and shooting 38.4% on three-point attempts. Tucker DeVries has been playing at a high level, especially of late, averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds a night. Tayton Conerway adds 9.2 points, while Reed Bailey, Nick Dorn, Sam Alexis, and Conor Enright also play key roles in the rotation.
The Ohio State Buckeyes hold a 19-11 record on the season, and have gone 11-8 in Big Ten play. They enter this matchup coming off back-to-back wins over Penn State and Purdue. On the season, Ohio State has gone 15-15 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 16 of their 30 games played.
As a team, Ohio State is scoring 80.1 points per game, which ranks 85th in the country. The Buckeyes also rank 39th in offensive rating, 24th in field goal percentage, and 73rd in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 72.8 points per game against Ohio State, which ranks 150th in the country. Jake Diebler’s squad also ranks 215th in defensive rating, 130th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 49th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Bruce Thornton leads the team in scoring with 19.9 points, along with 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while shooting 39.4% on three-point attempts. John Mobley Jr. leads the conference with a 43.2% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, helping to lead to his 15.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. Devin Royal adds 14.0 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds, while Christoph Tilly is the lone other player to average in double figures with 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. Amare Bynum, Taison Chatman, and Gabe Cupps also make notable impacts.
Indiana vs. Ohio State pick, best bet
Indiana has struggled on the road this season, going 4-6 against the spread in these matchups and 2-4 as an away underdog. Their previous victory over Minnesota was reassuring, but came after four consecutive losses in which the Hoosiers showed some notable concerns. They lost 77-64 to Michigan State, 72-68 to Northwestern, 93-64 to Purdue, and 71-51 to Illinois. The Hoosiers are 2-6 against the spread in their last eight games, and 0-3 as underdogs.
Expect Ohio State to push the scoring to a rate that Indiana cannot keep pace with tonight. The Buckeyes are shooting 36.0% from beyond the three-point arc, which ranks 73rd in the country, and are coming off a victory over Penn State in which they shot 16-for-23 (70%) on three-point attempts. Looking at this matchup, Indiana does not crack the top 100 in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed. The Buckeyes have four players averaging in double figures, and six guys have led the team in scoring in a game this year. You cannot prioritize shutting down one individual player, with plenty of others that can punish you on this Buckeyes roster.
Ohio State also does a nice job defending the three-point line, ranking 49th in opponents’ three-point percentage. This will be important as Indiana ranks 24th in three-point attempts per game, although they rank 145th in efficiency.
Count on Ohio State to have a bit too much offensive production for Indiana to be able to stick with them. Expect the Buckeyes to push the scoring and for Indiana to fail to assert themselves enough defensively to get their result. Indiana has faded down the stretch of the season, and this is a Buckeyes team that can look like a dangerous team when they play to their best. Back Ohio State to defend their home court and produce a comfortable victory as the Hoosiers limp to the finish line of the regular season.
