The Ohio State Buckeyes will face the opportunistic Rutgers Scarlet Knights in an intriguing battle in Piscataway. Will Ohio State avoid an upset loss on the road? Or will Rutgers add another Quadrant 1 win to its March Madness resume? Check out our preview below of this Ohio State-Rutgers Big Ten matchup.
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Betting Preview for the Ohio State Buckeyes vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA College Basketball Game on February 9 2022
Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena, Piscataway, NJ
When: Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes (odds) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (odds) – view all 2022 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (odds)
Record: 14-5 Overall/7-3 Conference
EJ Liddell scored 24 points and completed a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds in Ohio State’s 82-67 home win against the Maryland Terrapins at home last Sunday. It was also an easy cover for the Buckeyes as 9.5-point favorites. Prior to that, the Buckeyes got outlasted by the Purdue Boilermakers on the road on Jan. 30. With Lidell as the focal point of their offense, the Buckeyes are currently sixth in the nation with 118.1 points per 100 possessions. Their 56.0 effective field goal percentage is 12th-best in Division I basketball, thanks to Ohio State’s balanced attack from inside the arc and outside of it. They are shooting 37.1 percent from deep and 56.2 percent on 2-pointers. Liddell leads the Buckeyes with 19.9 points on 52.2 percent shooting overall. Ohio State’s offense has its top two scorers shooting at least 40 percent from long range, and having those kinds of threats alternating on offense is largely why it’s tough to stop this team.
Ohio State is 2-0 against the spread in its last two games overall.
Betting on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (odds)
Record: 13-9 Overall/7-5 Conference
Rutgers already has nine losses this season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t give great teams a run for their money. Just take for example the Scarlet Knights’ booming 84-63 upset win at home over the Michigan State Spartans last Saturday. The Scarlet Knights can be very unpredidctable, but having defeated the likes of the then-No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers back in December at home. Rutgers also has wins over the Clemson Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Ohio State might look stronger on paper, but Rutgers has shown it could push back against heavyweights – and even beat them. Ron Harper Jr. leads the Scarlet Knights with 15.9 points per game and is also shooting a high 41.2 percent from behind the arc.
Rutgers, which is third in the Big Ten with a 37.8 3-point percentage, is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
Ohio State wins, 70-68.
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