Ohio State stands alone in Big Ten betting
By: Michael Robinson
The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (22-0 straight-up) look like the Big Ten’s only legitimate hope for a national title.
Ohio State (plus 420) is ranked only behind defending champion Duke (plus 320) at one online sportsbook. Purdue (plus 3000), Michigan State (plus 4000), Illinois (plus 4000) and Wisconsin (plus 5000) are other conference teams listed, but each with long shot odds.
The Buckeyes were the unanimous choice for No. 1 in the latest AP and Coaches Poll. They have three upperclassmen in William Buford (13.5 PPG), David Lighty (12.4 PPG) and Jon Diebler (11.3 PPG), who all shoot the three-ball well above 40 percent. Senior big man Dallas Lauderdale plays tough defense and does the dirty work inside.
Those four players started on last year’s team that went 29-8 SU and had a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. That squad starred swingman Evan Turner (20.1 PPG), the second pick in last year’s NBA draft, but got upset in the Sweet Sixteen by Tennessee (76-73).
Coach Thad Matta thinks the results will be better this year, with freshman power forward Jared Sullinger the big difference. The 6-foot-9, 280 pound man-child is averaging 18 PPG and 10 RPG. He’s a better fit in the starting lineup than Turner as he brings a low-post threat. That’s especially important come tournament time when offenses tend to break down.
Ohio State has only allowed one opponent to break 70 points all year and is eighth in the country in scoring defense (57.5 PPG). Scoring offense is at 78.4 PPG, ranked 22nd nationally.
The Buckeyes are 10-9 ATS on the year, 4-5 ATS in the Big Ten. They’re 3-1 ATS in their last four overall.
Ohio State looks to continue its perfect season when it hosts Michigan on Thursday night (as 16 ½-point favorites) before visiting No. 18 Minnesota on Sunday.
Big Ten supporting cast – More questions than answers
No. 11 Purdue (18-5 SU, 12-8 ATS) started the season 10-3 ATS, but is just 2-5 ATS in its last seven games. The Boilermakers have especially struggled on the road lately (0-4 SU and ATS) and it’s hard to see them going far with only two scorers, JaJuan Johnson (20.8 PPG and E’Twaun Moore (17.4 PPG). The loss of Robbie Hummel (knee) for the season really hurt.
No. 18 Minnesota (16-6 SU, 10-12 ATS) is a talented team, but just lost point guard Al Nolen (foot) indefinitely. The Golden Gophers are 1-2 SU and ATS since Nolen went down and there’s no one who can fill his void.
No. 19 Wisconsin (16-5 SU, 11-6 ATS) is always a tough, battling bunch under coach Bo Ryan. However, this is another team without a lot of scoring depth outside of Jon Leuer (19.4 PPG) and Jordan Taylor (17.2 PPG). The Badgers have a great home court advantage with their rabid fans (12-0 SU and 6-2 ATS).
Illinois (15-7 SU, 11-11 ATS) is just outside the AP top-25 after going 2-4 SU and ATS in its last six games. The Fighting Illini are dangerous with point guard Demetri McCamey (14.7 PPG) and big men Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. They’re 4-1 SU and ATS at home in the Big Ten, but just 1-3 SU and ATS away.
Unranked Michigan State (13-9 SU, 6-15 ATS) is one of the nation’s most disappointing teams after its No. 2 preseason ranking. The Spartans are just 3-5 SU in their last eight games (0-8 ATS) and needed OT for all three wins. The suspension of guard Korie Lucious for the rest of the year is the latest bad news for Tom Izzo’s sinking ship.
Penn State (12-9 SU, 9-7-1 ATS) lost at Illinois on Tuesday, 68-51 as eight-point ‘dogs, snapping a six-game ATS winning streak. The ‘under’ is 4-0 in its last four overall and 6-1 in its last seven.
Indiana (12-11 SU, 9-8 ATS) is 3-0 ATS in its last three games and 5-1 ATS in the last six. The Hoosiers also beat both Minnesota and Illinois outright in the last week.
Iowa (9-13 SU, 9-12 ATS) is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS in Big Ten road games. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in those games, with the offense averaging just 56.6 PPG.