Indiana Hoosiers (10-4) vs Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2)
2024-01-06 20:00:00 EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Indiana Hoosiers +3.5 -- Over/Under: 148.5
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The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Bloomington Assembly Hall. Ohio State sits at 12-2 overall this year after a win over Rutgers in their last outing. As for Indiana, they’re sitting at 10-4 following a loss to Nebraska on Wednesday. Let’s get into our Ohio State vs. Indiana prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes kicked off the season with a nice 8-1 run, taking a loss to Texas A&M in game two as the lone blemish. After another loss to Penn State, Ohio State recovered with wins over UCLA, New Orleans, West Virginia and Rutgers over the next four outings.
On Wednesday versus Rutgers, the Buckeyes had another close game. Following a 45-32 halftime edge, Ohio State had to hang on for a 76-72 win following a 40-31 deficit in the second. Leading scorer Bruce Thornton posted 24 points with four rebounds and seven assists.
Indiana Hoosiers
Over on the Hoosiers’ side, they only lost one of their first eight games to UConn to start at 7-1 overall. Indiana would then hit a 3-3 stretch in the next six with wins over Morehead State, North Alabama and Kennesaw State alongside losses to Auburn, Kansas and Nebraska.
Matched up against Nebraska in their last outing, the Hoosiers faced a 41-33 deficit going into the second half. Indiana didn’t end up getting closer on a 45-37 run from there for an 86-70 loss. Leading scorer Kel’el Ware doubled up on 20 points with 10 rebounds and two steals.
ANDREW’S FREE OHIO STATE VS INDIANA PREDICTION
I’ll stick with Ohio State here. The Buckeyes have had a couple of close calls in their last two games though, so they’ll need to make a statement on Saturday. Ohio State is coming off a pretty decent showing versus Rutgers—despite a sketchy second half—for their fourth straight win. That said, the Buckeyes’ last two wins have come by four points or fewer.
As for Indiana, they’ve hit 69 or more points in seven straight games so they’re scoring pretty well these days. The Hoosiers can keep pace here if they continue the offensive push, but in the end I think Ohio State will pull off the cover.
