It’s been awhile since the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cincinnati Bearcats tipped off on the hardwood, their last meeting coming in the 2012 NCAA Tournament when the Buckeyes in a Sweet-16 battle. Ohio State ultimately advanced to the Final Four before losing to Kansas that season. It was a tough playoff loss for the Bearcats who got beat handily 81-66, but that was nearly seven years ago and well in the past for both teams.
This year, the two programs begin their seasons in a head-to-head battle in Cincinnati as the Cincinnati Bearcats welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes to their home floor. Live betting will be available at BookMaker.eu. We’ll see what’s on tap for us in this Tuesday night showdown, but what should we look for in live betting at BookMaker.eu?
NCAA Basketball Betting at Bookmaker.eu
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Date and Time: Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 6 p.m. ET
Location: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Buckeyes vs. Bearcats TV Coverage: ESPN2
The Buckeyes had a solid season last year, going 25-9 with three of those loses coming against Penn State. Those games aside, and Ohio State had a great season, at least until the tournament when the exited in the Round of 32, unable to advance to the second weekend.
Not returning for Ohio State, most notably, is Keita Bates-Diop. The Big Ten player of the year played out of his mind last year. He was a dominant player who hardly ever got into foul trouble, never turned the ball over and was able to procure defensive rebounds at a high rate. He was a great all-around player who could score and defend; it’s no wonder he’s now in the NBA.
The Buckeyes also lost Jae-Sean Tate who was a stronger defensive player than an offensive one. He was strong on offensive rebounds, steals and blocked shots despite playing on the outside.
Of course, turnover is the nature of college hoops, but the Ohio State recruiting class wasn’t great. With two transfers guards with solid, but unspectacular college careers to date and a mediocre recruiting class, this team looks like it took a step back in talent. That said, Luther Muhammad is a promising young kid who could make a name for himself at the point.
All in all, Ohio State lacks some size though Kaleb Wesson could be a solid player in the middle. He’s probably the team’s strength though C.J. Jackson is another key at the shooting guard position along with Muhammad at point. Those two will need to play well on the outside to help minimize pressure on the big man, Wesson, inside.
On the other side of this matchup, Cincinnati is also a team rebuilding after three key losses with last season’s front court gone along with one of the best two-way players in college hoops in Jacob Evans.
The Bearcats were a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament last year for a reason. While they lost to Nevada early, they still put together a fine year.
This year, they’ll be sending out a veteran starting five despite key departures. Guys like Justin Jenifer, Tre Scott and Nysier Brooks will be asked to step into bigger roles.
Jenifer showed some flashes at point guard last year and was a starter, for the most part, the other two were bench players who’ll see much more time. Between Scott and Brooks, someone will need to step up offensively to give the Bearcats a strong shooter inside the paint. Bother were successful rebounders in their limited minutes last year, but the team needs more than that inside.
Meanwhile, on the wing, Rashawn Fredricks transfers in to replace Evans. He was a star in JuCo, but at just 6’5” lacks height. Fortunately, he’s a sharp shooter and solid defender. He should become a key cog to this team along with Jarron Cumberland who is the lone returning double-digit scorer from last year’s team. He’s now the star of the show.
Live Betting
With so much turnover on both side, this will be a good gauge for both programs coming out of the shoot. We’ll have to see if the Cincinnati front court is strong enough with Scott and Brooks. They’ll get a test inside with Ohio State while the Buckeyes’ perimeter will be tested. Can Jackson and Muhammad control the outside?
Both programs are likely to take a step back this season. Look for this to be a close game. Muhammad and Fredericks may be the keys. Keep an eye on how they’re playing, and whichever is able to make a bigger impact early could help lead his team to victory.
Key Stats
The key stats for this game are the 131 assists recorded by Jackson last year in 34 games for Ohio State compared to 103 in 36 games for Cincy’s Cumberland.
The Bearcats lost two of their top three scorers while the two top scorers for Ohio State have departed, too. Jackson and Cumberland represent their respective team’s highest returning scorers, but they’re also the assist leaders for their respective teams. Their role in setting up their teammates will be even more important early on this year as the offensive identities of the squads are still uncertain.
Buckeyes vs. Bearcats Live Betting
Look for a close, lower-scoring game. Keep an eye on the spread and take the points if it gets too heavily favored one way or the other. The under on the total could be an interesting play, too. Cincinnati figures to have a good defense and the offense, at least for a AAC team, will come around, too, but maybe not quite early enough for Wednesday’s battle with Ohio State.
On the other side Bates-Diop feels like the biggest hole to fill for either program, not to undermine the importance of Clark and Evans to Cincy last year. A team built around Wesson and Jackson is hard to get too excited about.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this week’s college basketball matchups.
Ohio State vs. Cincinnati Score Prediction: Cincinnati 70, Ohio State 66
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