The Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) travel to meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-1) Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. Below, we analyze the Ohio State-Notre Dame college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The Buckeyes are No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Poll.
Ohio State at Notre Dame: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:45 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Ohio State -225 (bet $225 to win $100) | Notre Dame +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
- Against the spread/ATS: Ohio State -4.5 (-115) | Notre Dame +4.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 140.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Ohio State at Notre Dame: Three things to know
- It’s three up and three down for the Buckeyes so far, but this will be Ohio State’s biggest test. OSU won its first three by an average of 23.3 points per game, but Illinois State, UMass-Lowell and Morehead State aren’t exactly “Blue Bloods” of college basketball. As such, the Buckeyes’ scoring defense of 58.3 PPG is a tad bit misleading.
- Notre Dame dropped its opener at then-No. 13 Michigan State 80-70, and bounced back with an uninspiring 78-70 win over Detroit Mercy. The Irish failed to cover the spread in both outings. They are averaging 74.0 PPG, hitting at a 43.2 percent clip from behind the arc.
- The Irish have struggled defensively, and that’s not good against a Buckeyes team which has been feeling it offensively. Of course, Notre Dame is quite a step up after three cupcakes to open for OSU.
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Ohio State at Notre Dame: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Ohio State 75, Notre Dame 64
Money line (ML)
Ohio State (-225) is a good bet on the road against Notre Dame (+180), which has been struggling mightily, although the jury is still out on the Buckeyes, too. They haven’t exactly been tested yet. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
OHIO STATE -4.5 (-115) is a little deeper than Notre Dame, boasting four scorers averaging double-digit point totals. F Justice Sueing is averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.3 assists. If he can cut down on his turnovers, he’ll be quite effective. F E.J. Liddell makes for a nice one-two punch in the frontcourt with 14.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG.
Yes, the Buckeyes haven’t really played anyone yet, but the Irish were dumped by Michigan State in the opener, and they barely scraped by a poor Detroit Mercy side.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 140.5 (-115) is worth a small-unit play in this one. The Buckeyes turn it over quite a bit, leaving a lot of points on the floor, but they are strong on the defensive end. The Under has cashed in each of their past two. This won’t be a defensive slog, but Under bettors will hang on after some tense moments down the stretch.
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