Even though the Spartans are atop the standings and the Buckeyes are winless at the bottom, this outcome isn’t cut and dried. Ohio State is playing at home and has the talent to compete, but must start stringing some victories together in order to have a shot at making it to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
At 1:30 p.m. ET, tune into CBS for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Sunday, January 15, 2017, at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Sunday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Michigan State is 12-6 straight up and 9-8 against the spread after blowing out Minnesota last time out. The Spartans have played three true road games and have won a pair of them. Michigan State is 6-6 against the spread as the favorite and 3-2 trying to cover as the underdog.
Ohio State is 10-6 straight up but only 5-9 against the spread. The Buckeyes have played nine home games and have covered in four of them. Ohio State is 3-7 against the spread as the favorite and a much more respectable 2-2 against the spread as the underdog.
Key Stat
18.4. That’s how many assists per game Michigan State’s offense is averaging so far this season. The team’s ability to pass the ball around to a number of different playmakers on offense will be key in his matchup.
Michigan State ranks fourth in the country for assists per game. The team’s leading scorers include Miles Bridges, Nick Ward and Eron Harris and all are averaging double-digits in points with each possessing the ability to be the team’s hot hand.
Michigan State only had 11 assists in the loss to Penn State on January 7th and finished with 63 points. Both of those numbers are significantly below the season average for the Spartans and they will look to get back on track this week.
Player to Watch
Jae-Sean Tate – The Ohio State forward has been leading the offense this season, averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. Tate leads an Ohio State offense that is averaging 74.3 points per game.
Despite Ohio State’s recent losing streak, the junior has been playing at a high level. He had 20 points and nine rebounds in the Buckeyes’ loss to Minnesota on January 8th and finished with 17 points in the team’s loss to No. 20 Purdue.
Tate has had three double-doubles this season. One of his strongest performances came back on November 14th against North Carolina Central, when he finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Ohio State has been competitive against some top-tier foes like Virginia and UCLA but has yet to pull out a key win. This would be a big one, since Michigan State is one of the strongest programs in the country.
The Spartans seem to have ironed out their wrinkles from early in the season and would love to claim the Big Ten title after so many hiccups in the non-conference slate. Be on upset alert, as the Buckeyes have enough to pull out this game at home despite their slow start in the conference.
Ohio State is better than its record would suggest, unluckily losing some close games. If Michigan State is favored in this one, the Buckeyes are a great value on the moneyline as they have the capacity to win this game.
College Basketball Odds: Ohio State 72, Michigan State 68
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