The case for the Ohio State Buckeyes to get into the NCAA Tournament is getting stronger and stronger as the games go by. OSU has 10 wins in the Big Ten already, and if they can get a win against the Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday night at home, it'll be tough to not take them seriously the rest of the way.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
Ohio State has won four games in a row, and though none of those wins came against teams which are dancing this year, opportunity is still knocking for sure. These last three games of the regular season are against Michigan State, Iowa and Michigan State again, and wins in two of those three games will really change the perception of this team.
That said, live bettors need to know that this is a big game for the Bucks, knowing that the spread is going to be close to a pick 'em one way or the other.
Michigan State has covered seven games in a row, winning six of the seven duels. The one loss was against Purdue on the road by a single point in overtime. Clearly, the Spartans are for real though, and they're not interested in giving Ohio State a shot at the tourney.
KEY MATCHUP
The bench is starting to get a little bit shorter for the Spartans as the regular season winds on, and if this is any indication, live bettors will need to watch out for Denzel Valentine. Valentine has scored at least 19 points in nine games in a row. He's had at least 10 assists in three straight, and he's averaged 38 minutes per game in that span.
There just isn't any stopping Valentine when he gets into the thick of the game, and he's done a lot of damage against all types of defenses. Can Ohio State figure out how to slow him down? At 19.7 points, 7.7 boards and 7.3 assists per game, it's tough to imagine Valentine getting stopped. The good news though, is that the Buckeyes allow teams to shoot just 38.8 percent from the field, and if they can hold Valentine to around 40 percent shooting in this game, that could be a good recipe for live bettors of the hosts.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
Ohio State might not be in the bubble discussion at the moment, but it has done a great job for NCAAB bettors this year at 15-11-1 ATS. The Bucks are fantastic at home for bettors at 10-5-1 ATS.
Michigan State might be a little overrated right now for bettors at 17-9 ATS, especially when you consider the fact that it's only 5-3 ATS on the road. The Buckeyes have covered their last three on the road dating back to a somewhat surprising 77-76 loss in Madison against Wisconsin.
Over of these teams have played a ton of over games of late, and live bettors need to be aware of that. The Buckeyes have put four of their last five past the total, scoring at least 71 points in three of their last four. Michigan State is also 4-1 towards the over in its last five games, and it has scored 81 points or more in four of those five as well.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Michigan State Spartans and Ohio State Buckeyes will go down Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at 9:00 p.m. ET at Value City Arena. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN.
