Ohio State vs Northwestern 1/9/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Northwestern Wildcats will travel to Value City Arena to take on the 13^th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes this Sunday night in College Basketball action.

The Northwestern Wildcats lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 8-4 on the season after being defeated by the Penn State Nittany Lions, 74-70, this past Wednesday night. Northwestern led by a 53-43 margin midway through the 2^nd half, however, the Wildcats offense struggled the rest of the way and could not fight back after Penn State took a 68-63 lead with :25 seconds left in regulation. Northwestern shot 42.6% from the field & 46.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Penn State to shoot 45.5% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Boo Buie who had 22 points, 2 rebounds, & 8 assists.

On the season, Northwestern is averaging 77.2 ppg on 45.0% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 8.2 three-pointers per game on 36.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Northwestern has been led by Pete Nance (15.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.8 bpg), Boo Buie (15.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.8 apg), Chase Audige (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.2 spg), & Ryan Young (10.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

Defensively, Northwestern is holding their opponents to an average of 62.9 ppg on 37.5% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 2.5 and a turnover margin of 5.8.

The 13^th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes had their 5-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 9-3 on the season after being defeated by the Indiana Hoosiers, 67-51, this past Thursday night. Ohio State struggled on the offensive end against Indiana and could not fight back after the Hoosiers took a 57-48 lead with 5:36 left in regulation. Ohio State shot 30.8% from the field & 29.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Indiana to shoot 41.0% from the field & 13.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Buckeyes was Malaki Branham who had 13 points, 5 rebounds, & 3 assists.

On the season, Ohio State is averaging 74.6 ppg on 47.5% shooting from the field. The Buckeyes are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game on 38.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Ohio State has been led by E.J. Liddell (18.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.9 bpg), Zed Key (9.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Kyle Young (9.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 apg), & Jamari Wheeler (6.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.4 spg).

Defensively, Ohio State is allowing their opponents to average 68.4 ppg on 40.1% shooting from the field. The Buckeyes have a rebound margin of 3.1 and a turnover margin of -2.2.

The Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. Big Ten opponents, however, are just 6-14 ATS in their last 20 Sunday games.

Northwestern has been solid on both ends of the court this season as the Wildcats come into this game ranked 67^th in scoring offense, 58^th in scoring defense, & 15^th in defensive FG%. Ohio State has also been solid on both ends of the court as the Buckeyes rank 126^th in scoring offense, 41^st in FG%, 22^nd in 3P-FG%, & 70^th in defensive FG%.

Ohio State is coming off a tough loss at Indiana, however, the Buckeyes have been outstanding at home this season, posting a 6-0 overall record which includes an impressive 71-66 win against Duke. Northwestern has been competitive this season and has a solid defense, however, as Ohio State recently defeated Wisconsin by a 73-55 margin at home, I think the Buckeyes will be able to do enough to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!