No. 22 UCONN hosts Ohio State in Storrs, CT Saturday, and the Huskies will be returning home and ready following a showdown with No. 2 Maryland Tuesday. Youth versus experience and more talent will make it tough for Ohio State in its first true road game of 2015.
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HOW THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES WILL COVER THE SPREAD
Ohio State has one of the youngest teams in the country, but coach Thad Matta is an excellent bench boss and annually brings his teams together. Despite the youth and inexperience with seven freshman and four sophomores on the roster, the Buckeyes have been a pretty solid defensive team thus far.
However the stats have been stronger against some of the weaker teams. Ohio State lost four-straight games and lost to Memphis 81-76 in overtime on a neutral court and 64-58 at home to Virginia as a 7-point underdog.
A pair of freshman start for the Buckeyes with guard Ja’Quon Lyle scoring nearly 10 points per game with six assists per contest. Junior forward Mark Loving is the teams most experienced and polished player scoring 17 points per game, but the Buckeyes don’t have the beef inside or the talent and experience of the Huskies.
Ohio State is trying to find its identity, and Loving will need to have a huge game to carry the Buckeyes. But in the Buckeyes first true road game of the season, it could get away from them quickly.
HOW THE UCONN HUSKIES WILL COVER THE SPREAD
Both these teams have solid offensive effective FG shooting, but the Huskies are top-20 in FG defense. A pair of graduate transfers have stepped in as forward Shonn Miller and Sterling Gibbs give coach Kevin Ollie more maturity and double-digit scoring with Miller hitting 65 percent FG and Gibbs a top threat from the arc.
Senior guard Rodney Purvis is leading the team in scoring at 14 PPG while swingman Daniel Hamilton is near a double-double as one of the most athletically gifted and versatile players in the nation.
The Huskies are deeper and have a more talented front court with the transfer Miller and 7-foot center Amida Brimah scoring and rebounding 8-and-5 per game while playing 20 minutes per contest. The balanced scoring and stronger back court completes the profile of a Huskies team that can beat the Buckeyes inside or out.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Huskies will be laying near double-digits and this could be a battle of blocked shots on the interior. But the Huskies stronger defense and scheduling should show in this match-up against a raw and inexperienced Ohio State team trying to find its way.
Both teams rank top-15 in 2-point FG percentage defense and each is in the top-5 in the country in defensive block percentage. But UCONN has played the stronger schedule and can play inside or out as well as fast or slow.
Connecticut has a solid neutral site win over Michigan 74-60 to its credit in which it shot 50 percent and held the Wolverines to 32 percent shooting in the squad’s best game and win over a quality team. A pair of 3-point losses over the next two days of the Battle of Atlantis tournament followed versus Syracuse and Gonzaga, and those games and experiences will help the Huskies as they return home where they are 4-0 this season against weaker foes.
UCONN 75, Ohio State 60
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