The Indiana Hoosiers have a forecast 58% chance to win against The Ohio State Buckeyes with a spread of -2.5/2.5 and an over/under of 139.0. The Indiana Hoosiers are 0 – 0 against The Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021-22 Season.
— Thursday, January 06th Ohio State Buckeyes @ Indiana Hoosiers
Quite a few Big Ten games have been postponed in the last ten days, but action is ready to resume. Thursday night, the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2, 3-0) travel to face the Indiana Hoosiers (10-3, 1-2). Tipoff at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1.
These teams have met 189 times, with IU leading the series 105-84. The Buckeyes are just 8-33 at the Assembly Hall and 27-64 all-time in Bloomington, but they have two wins in their last three trips.
When they are ranked, and the Hoosiers are not, Ohio State is 16-7. The Buckeyes won the only matchup in Columbus last year, 78-59.
Liddell Leads Buckeyes
The Buckeyes are 5-6 ATS, and the over is 8-3 in their 11 games while they are 2-1 on the road this season. They rank 13th in the nation in 3-point shooting at 39.7% and 15th in overall shooting at 49%, scoring 76.7 ppg. Defensively they aren’t in the top 70 in the nation in any major category and allow 68.5 points per game.
A win on Thursday allows Ohio State to keep pace with No. 10 Michigan State atop the Big Ten at 4-0. Before beating Nebraska last weekend, the Buckeyes hadn’t played in 22 days, and they looked rusty until overtime, eventually winning by eight.
Ohio State has knocked off quality teams in Duke, Seton Hall, and Wisconsin, but none of those games were road contests. The Buckeyes have scored more than 80 points four times this season, but they have the same season-low 71 points in their two losses.
Center E.J. Liddell leads the Buckeyes with 19.6 ppg, 7.3 rebounds per game, and 3.0 blocks per game. Zed Key averages 10.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg while Kyle Young averages 10.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Those three allow the Buckeyes to dominate in the paint while Justin Ahrens has made 26 3-pointers.
Hoosiers Lockdown Defensively
This season, the Hoosiers are 8-5 ATS, and the under is 9-4 in their 13 games. They are undefeated at home with a 9-0 record, but they have yet to face a top 50 team in Indiana. Overall the defense ranks 3rd in the nation allowing just 35.4% shooting, and the offense ranks 28th in shooting at 48.3%.
Indiana is reeling with losses to Wisconsin and Penn State in their last two conference games. Those results leave them in danger of falling into the Big Ten basement without a win over the Buckeyes.
They have scored 58 and 59 points in their conference losses, but both games were on the road, and Indiana has scored at least 68 points in every home game.
Trayce Jackson-Davis leads the team with 19.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.1 bpg, and he shoots 60% from the floor. Race Thompson (10.8) and Xavier Johnson (10.0) are also in double-digits for scoring. Parker Stewart leads the team with 26 3-pointers made and 48% shooting from deep.
Betting Analysis
Ohio State Buckeyes +1.5 (-110). Money line +105
Indiana Hoosiers -1.5 (-110). Money line -125
Total Points: 137.5 Over -110. Under -110
Indiana really needs a bounce-back win after losing at Penn State, and they will have the crowd behind them to knock off a top-15 team. The Buckeyes have the better talent but haven’t faced a defense as highly ranked as the Hoosiers this season.
Look for points to be hard to come by, especially early in this one.
FREE PICK: Under 137.5 (-110).