The No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-5, 7-3 Big Ten) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-9, 7-5) meet for a Wednesday night battle in Piscataway, N.J. The contest at Jersey Mike’s Arena is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Ohio State vs. Rutgers odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Ohio State bounced back from a Jan. 30 loss to Purdue with a Sunday win over Maryland. In between, OSU had a Feb. 3 game against Iowa postponed due to inclement weather and poor travel conditions. Due to a couple recent postponements, the Buckeyes have played just three games since Jan. 18.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a monster 84-63 bludgeoning of Michigan State on Saturday. Rutgers shot a blistering 61.5% from the floor in running its season home record to 11-2. RU’s 84 points marked its most in a single game since Jan. 8.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Ohio State at Rutgers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 6:17 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Ohio State -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Rutgers +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Against the spread (ATS): Ohio State -2.5 (-107) | Rutgers +2.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 136.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Ohio State at Rutgers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Ohio State 68, Rutgers 66
Money line
PASS.
Against the spread
Rutgers is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 games as a home underdog. In the OSU-RU series, the home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
Ohio State is prone to some defensive lapses and has a lot of trouble in forcing turnovers. The Knights are the stronger defensive five, and that shows up more in and around the paint than anywhere else. Blocked shots — and the threat of them — make for an important RU defensive weapon.
With this game being in Piscataway — where Rutgers has defeated Michigan State, Iowa and Purdue — figure a small-to-moderate lean on the SCARLET KNIGHTS +2.5 (-115).
Over/Under
OSU’s schedule gaps may create some rusty collective shooting touch. Two of the impressive three wins noted above hit Unders.
TAKE THE UNDER 136.5 (-110).
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