Rutgers vs. Ohio State Pick
Will Ohio State run into any trouble when it takes on Rutgers in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament tonight at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Ohio State is the favorite in this game, as the Buckeyes are getting odds of -7.5 points against Rutgers. The over/under total for the game is listed at 136 points. Ohio State won the lone meeting this season, 70-64, on Feb. 8 at home. These two meet tonight from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
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Ohio State ended the regular season with a 96-92 loss to Indiana to drop to 17-14 on the season and 7-11 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are the 11 seed in this tournament and come into today just 11-18 against the spread. The Buckeyes average 73.3 points per game on offense this season while allowing just 69.9 on defense. Jae’Sean Tate is leading the team with 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while Marc Loving adds 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Rutgers actually closed the regular season with a win over Illinois, 62-59. The Knights are 14-17 overall and 3-15 in the Big Ten to earn the 14th seed this week. Rutgers went 12-12-1 against the spread this season. The Knights averaged just 65 points per game on offense while allowing 67.3 on defense. When away from home, Rutgers puts up just 61.8 on offense while allowing 71.3. Corey Sanders is averaging 13 points per game to lead the team while Deshawn Freeman is adding 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.
Ohio State is the better team, but I don’t like the Buckeyes giving up so many points. Ohio State isn’t known for big winning margins, only beating Rutgers by 6 at home previously and only winning by one at Penn State last week. Rutgers is coming off a nice win and has been competitive with Michigan and Northwestern in recent games. Look for the Knights to keep this close.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: RUTGERS +7.5