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The Ohio State Buckeyes are still riding high after their most recent victory. Ohio State served notice to the rest of the Big Ten that it was not to be taken lightly after an upset win over Michigan State last weekend. The Buckeyes easily handled the Spartans, getting out to a 12-point lead in the first half, and holding on the rest of the way for a very convincing win. They have one more home game before a three-game road swing next week, and will look to knock off the Maryland Terrapins.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, January 11, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Give credit to Maryland for remaining competitive despite losing two rotation players in a short timespan two weeks ago. Big men Ivan Bender and Justin Jackson will be on the sidelines for the rest of the season due to injuries. Their losses really sting, but this team has battled through it in order to win two of its next three games.
The Terrapins have been a much better team at home than they have been away from home. Maryland is 7-2 ATS, but is just 2-3 ATS away from its home court. They were hammered by Michigan State on the road last week and narrowly got past lowly Illinois earlier in the year. This team has covered five of its last six though.
Ohio State had failed to cover in four straight outings at the end of 2017, but has rewarded followers recently. The Buckeyes win over Michigan State is the biggest scalp of the year in Big Ten play, and they handily covered a few days beforehand on the road against Iowa.
Under has been a great bet in Ohio State games. Under Chris Holtmann, this team has re-focused on defense and it shows. The under is 11-4 on the year and has been even better in Columbus. Eight of the Buckeyes nine home games have gone under the total.
Player to Watch
It was the Keita Bates-Diop show the last time that Ohio State took the court. Bates-Diop has really shifted gears lately and has become the scorer this team needed.
He has been electric in his last two Big Ten games. First, he went 10-17 from the floor with 13 rebounds against Iowa to prove how big of an impact he could make. Last weekend, he was incredible against the Spartans. Bates-Diop wasn’t supposed to have a ton of success against Myles Bridges and company, but surprised almost everyone. He went 12-21 from the floor and had an impressive 32 points against this defense.
The injuries to two of Maryland’s frontcourt players is really going to hurt them in this one.
Key Stat
Maryland must limit its turnovers if it wants to pull out the upset on the road. The Terrapins are turning the ball over more than 15 times an outing on average, with four of the five starters averaging at least 2.4 TPG.
What’s doubly concerning is that this team is averaging just as many assists as turnovers. Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter are trying to dish the ball out and help their teammates, but this team doesn’t play an offense that utilizes a lot of passing.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
This line will likely be inflated a point or two. It’s easy to back Ohio State right now with how the team has been playing, but all good things must come to an end. Maryland will put up enough of a fight to pick up a well-deserved cover.
College Basketball Odds: Ohio State 74, Maryland 70
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