>The Wisconsin Badgers have a forecast 67% chance to win against The Ohio State Buckeyes with a spread of -4.5/4.5 and an over/under of 142.5. The Wisconsin Badgers are 0 – 1 against The Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021-22 Season.
— Thursday, January 13th Ohio State Buckeyes @ Wisconsin Badgers
A Big 10 top-25 matchup highlights the Thursday college basketball schedule as No. 16 Ohio State (10-3, 4-1) travels to No. 13 Wisconsin (13-2, 4-1). The winner will take over sole possession of third place in the Big 10 behind the two undefeated teams, Michigan State and Illinois. Thursday’s tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center in Madison, and the game will air on ESPN2.
These teams met on December 11 in Columbus, and Ohio State won 73-55. E.J. Liddell led all scorers with 28 points for the Buckeyes on 11-of-16 shooting. Last year Ohio State won by 12 in Madison, their first win at the Kohl Center since 2014. Overall, Ohio State leads the series 77-51, but Wisconsin is 6-4 in the last 10.
Liddell Dominating for Buckeyes
The Buckeyes are 6-7 ATS this season, and the over is 9-4 in their 13 games. They are just 3-3 away from Columbus with a 2-2 record in true road games. The Buckeyes lost by 16 at Indiana in their last road game and also lost at Xavier back in November.
The offense ranks 14th in the nation in 3-point shooting at 39.2 percent, and they are 29th in field goal percentage (48.2). Ohio State outscores opponents by an average of 76.2 to 69.8. The defense allows 31.6 percent shooting from 3-point range and 41 percent shooting overall.
Liddell is coming off a monster game against Northwestern as he finished with 34 points and five blocks. Liddell was 12-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the 95-87 win. On the campaign, he’s averaging 20.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 3.2 bpg while scoring in double figures in all 13 contests.
Malaki Branham is the second-leading scorer at 10.4 ppg, while Zed Key averages 9.3. Point guard Jamari Wheeler leads the Buckeyes with 4.3 apg, and Justin Ahrens has a team-high 28 made 3-pointers.
In the first matchup, the Buckeyes held Wisconsin to 33 percent shooting from the field and only allowed nine free throw attempts. They outrebounded the Badgers 49-28 while shooting 50 percent from the field, 59 percent on 2-pointers.
Davis Has Badgers Streaking Forward
Wisconsin has won six in a row overall since the Ohio State loss. They are 10-5 ATS this season, and the over is 10-5 in their 15 games. They are 7-1 at the Kohl Center, with the only loss coming in early November to Providence.
Wisconsin outscores opponents 71.7 to 64.9 on the season, and they rank 35th in the nation at free throw percentage (76.4). Wisconsin is in the bottom 50 in the country in 3-point shooting (29.6) and 3-point defense (34.2). Overall they shoot just 41.7 percent from the floor but average over ten offensive rebounds per game to get extra opportunities.
Johnny Davis leads Wisconsin in scoring at 22.3 ppg while also leading the team in rebounds (7.4), assists (2.6), and steals (1.4). He had 24 points against Ohio State in December on 11-of-22 shooting. Davis has scored at least 15 points in every game this season, and he’s gone over 20 on nine occasions with a season-high 37 at Purdue on January 3.
Brad Davison (14.5) and Tyler Wahl (10.2) are also in double figures scoring-wise for Wisconsin. Wahl led the Badgers with 21 points in the 70-69 win at Maryland over the weekend and also had 16 points against Iowa last week. Davison has made a team-high 35 3-pointers on the season but is shooting just 30 percent from distance.
Betting Analysis
- Ohio State Buckeyes +3.5 (-110). Money Line +140
- Wisconsin Badgers -3.5 (-110). Money Line -165
- Total Points: 139.5 Over -110. Under -110
This is a very interesting matchup with two superstars. Ohio State won’t have an answer for Davis, but the Badgers won’t slow down Liddell either. The Buckeyes dominated the first matchup and have the better supporting cast, but Wisconsin is playing well and are extremely tough at home.
Betting Pick: Over 139.5 (-110)
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