Two of the better teams in the country are preparing for an early-season clash as the Ohio State Buckeyes welcome the Villanova Wildcats to town. Villanova is the higher-ranked team as it is currently in the top-10 in the national rankings, but the Buckeyes are not too far behind and have the benefit of the home court advantage. This is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing non-conference matchups in November and could be an indication of how well-built each of these teams are as the season gets rolling.
This college basketball regular season game between the Villanova Wildcats and Ohio State Buckeyes will be held at Value CIty Arena in Columbus, Ohio at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 13, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on FS1.
We'll have college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019-20 college basketball season.
Odds Analysis
Even though Villanova is on the road against a strong opponent, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it is listed as the slight favorite to win this game. The Wildcats have a lot of talented players and are experienced enough to persevere in a tough environment. Ohio State could be a popular choice on the moneyline if it is the home underdog. Villanova scored a bunch of points in its opener while the Buckeyes were locked in a defensive affair against Cincinnati, so the scoring total should be interesting.
Player to Watch
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl -- The Villanova freshman got off to a great start in his college debut Robinson-Earl scored 24 points and hauled down 13 rebounds in a 97-54 victory over Army. The 6-foot-9 forward shot 64.3 percent from the field and hit all of his free throws, so Ohio State will have to keep him in check.
Earl did turn the ball over five times in his debut and that’s a number that will need to come down, but overall it was a very encouraging first game. Villanova has some good returning players and the addition of talented newcomers like Earl has expectations high in 2019-20.
Key Stat
33.3 -- That’s the shooting percentage that Ohio State limited Cincinnati to in its first game of the season, which allowed the Buckeyes to rally from a halftime deficit to pull out the win. The Buckeyes locked down everywhere on the court, holding the Bearcats to just 19 percent from downtown in addition to the struggles inside the arc.
Villanova shot 52.2 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range in its opener, but that was against Army. Open looks are going to be much harder to come by in this showdown.
College Basketball Pick
Villanova is the more talented team, but playing on the road with a raucous crowd is never easy. The Buckeyes are good enough to defend their home court and pick up a solid victory in non-conference play. The Wildcats have the higher ceiling this season and they could very well be in the national championship conversation by the end of the year, but Ohio State is not far behind and is the pick to win this one. The Buckeyes should be taken on the moneyline to maximize the payout.
Keep an eye on where the scoring total comes in for this one. This is still an early-season matchup in which both teams are working out some kinks, so it could be lower-scoring than expected. Consider the “under” if the total comes in too high.
College Basketball Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes 68, Villanova Wildcats 66
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