The No. 11 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will be out to put an end to an ugly three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon when they invade Assembly Hall looking to increase its win streak to five straight against the Indiana Hoosiers. The season has taken a dramatic turn for the worse for Chris Holtmann’s kids; but they’ll no doubt enter this tilt confident having had Indiana’s number the last two seasons. That said, Archie Miller’s troops have been at their best in front of the hometown faithful where they’ve rattled off 10 wins through 11 tries on the year. Regardless, this is a spot the Buckeyes should shine should it be taken as a serious Big Ten title contender moving forward.
This Big Ten showdown will take place on Saturday, January 11, 2020. Tip-off will be at 12 p.m. ET from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN. The game will be broadcast on FOX. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Buckeyes have without a doubt hit a lull. Since busting out of the gates with nine straight wins and eight covers against the closing college basketball betting lines, Ohio State has really struggled of late. Since incurring their first loss of the season at Minnesota, the Buckeyes have logged just two wins in their last five games and enter this tilt losers of three straight to West Virginia, Wisconsin and most recently Maryland. OSU was never truly in Tuesday night’s road tilt against the Terps with the 67-55 defeat dropping Kaleb Wesson and company to 11-4 SU and 10-5 ATS for the season; 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS away from Columbus.
Indiana currently ranks out as the No. 43 team in the country per the current Pomeroy Ratings having amassed 11 wins through 14 tries while going 7-8 versus the linemakers. Its best win to date came in the form of an 80-64 home win and cover against the Florida State Seminoles back in early December. Since then, it’s gone on to win four of its last seven overall games and enters this home tilt looking to win a second straight in Big Ten play after coming back to defeat Northwestern 66-62 on Wednesday night. Even so, they grossly failed to cover the 13-point spread to fall to 1-6 ATS the last seven times they took to the hardwood.
Matchup to Watch
Ohio State has played to the much tougher overall schedule with the Buckeyes checking in at No. 30 and Indiana at No. 96. A number of solid wins were registered along the way versus the likes of Cincinnati, Villanova, Penn State and Kentucky. When things were running well for the Buckeyes, they were draining long range shots and playing a stifling brand of defense. Wesson and company should thrive defensively in this spot against a Hoosiers offense that struggles mightily from deep (No. 302) and depends on doing most of its damage at close range (No. 16). The Buckeyes just so happen to dominate close to the rack evidenced by being ranked No. 18 in 2-point defense, so it’s tough to envision Indiana’s twin towers of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Justin Smith dominating like they did against the Wildcats weak interior defense. Should those two be held under wraps, Indiana is going to have a very tough time keeping up on the scoreboard.
Prediction
The Buckeyes swept the season rivalry between these teams each of the last two seasons. Regardless of OSU’s recent woes, there’s nothing that leads me to believe they won’t continue to dominate after breaking the teams down on paper. The Hoosiers only shot of keeping the game close would be by dominating the rebounding battle and shooting from a high percentage clip from beyond the arc. With Ohio State likely to challenge the Hoosiers on the glass and Indiana’s long range sharpshooters not being able to hit water if they fell out of a boat, it’s not going to happen. Hopefully the Buckeyes recent fall from grace makes linemakers open up a suppressed number. Should that occur, be ready to pounce on Ohio State once the betting lines hit the board Friday night!
College Basketball Pick: Ohio State 68, Indiana 60
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