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College Basketball

Michigan State Spartans vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Picks, Predictions, Odds

Dave Schwab
Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

As part of Thursday night’s ESPN college basketball betting action, the Michigan State Spartans go on the road to face the No. 23 Ohio State Buckeyes. Game time in this Big Ten tilt at Value City Arena is set for 7 p.m. (ET).

Score Prediction

Ohio State 66 Michigan State 63

Best Bet

Under 143 (-115)

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES PREDICTIONS

Michigan State has stumbled down the stretch with just one straight-up victory in its last five games. The Spartans lost to Michigan by 17 points on Tuesday night as five-point underdogs on the road. They are now 10-8 SU in Big Ten play and 19-10 SU overall. Michigan State has failed to score more than 70 points in four of its last five games.

Ohio State comes into this game with back-to-back losses to Maryland and Nebraska closing as a favorite. The Buckeyes closed as 15-point home favorites in Tuesday’s eight-point loss to the Cornhuskers. With three losses in their last five conference games, they have slipped into a tie for fourth in the Big Ten standings at 11-7 SU.

The good news for one of these teams will be a much needed win on Thursday night. Ohio State should get the lean playing at home but I do not have all that much confidence to bet on that happening. The best bet in this matchup is the UNDER on the total line with both of these offenses struggling to consistently score points.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING ODDS

  • Michigan State +6 (-110)
  • Ohio State -6 (-110)
  • Over 142.5 (-110)
  • Under 142.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: Big 10
  • Date: Thursday, March 3, 2022
  • Venue: Value City Arena
  • Location: Columbus, Ohio
  • TV-Time: ESPN - 7:00 p.m. ET

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 19-10
  • ATS: 14-14
  • O/U: 13-14-1

Michigan State’s season started heading south back in mid-January with a troubling loss to Northwestern as a 9.5-point home favorite. The Spartans are just 2-6 SU in their last eight outings and a costly 2-7 against the spread over their last nine games. The total went OVER 144 points in Tuesday’s 87-70 loss to Michigan after staying UNDER in four of the Spartans’ previous six games.

Forward Gabe Brown continues to lead the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game. He also remains Michigan State’s best shooter from the foul line at 91.4%. Forward Malik Hall (9.6 points) and guard Max Christie (9.5 points) are next on the list in PPG. Forward Marcus Bingham Jr. leads the way in rebounds with 5.8 a game and guard AJ Hoggard tops the list in assists with 5.0. Brown is top shooting threat from three point range at 36.1% on a team-high 158 attempts.

The Spartans are averaging 72.1 PPG this season and shooting 45.5% from the field and 38 % from three-point range. They are pulling down an average of 37.2 rebounds a game. Defensively, Michigan State has held opposing teams to an average of 67.9 PPG.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 18-8
  • ATS: 14-12
  • O/U: 15-11

The Buckeyes are 2-3 in their last five games both SU and ATS. They have failed to cover in three of their last four games closing as favorites. The total stayed UNDER 149.5 points in Tuesday’s 78-70 loss to Nebraska. It has now stayed UNDER in six of Ohio State’s last eight contests. The Buckeyes failed to score more than 70 points in each of those six games.

The low point of the season may have been Tuesday’s effort. Bouncing back from such a bad loss at home on two days rest is not an easy task. Injuries have also been an issue including forward Zed Key. He remains questionable for Thursday as the team’s third-highest scorer (8.3 points).

The Buckeyes still rely heavily on forward EJ Liddell for most of their offensive production. He is averaging 19.6 PPG and shooting 49.7% from the field. He also leads the team in rebounds with 7.7 a game. Guard Malaki Branham is the second leading scorer with 12.7 PPG. He is shooting 44.4% from three-point range.

Ohio State, as a team, is averaging 74 points and 34.9 rebounds a game. The Buckeyes are shooting 47.2% from the field and 36.9 % from outside the three-point line. Their points-allowed average on defense is 68.1.

INSIDE THE STATS - MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

  • Record: 19-10
  • PS/G: 72.1 (157th)
  • PA/G: 67.9 (147th)
  • ORtg: 105 (131st)
  • DRtg: 99 (162nd)

INSIDE THE STATS - OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

  • Record: 18-8
  • PS/G: 74 (110th)
  • PA/G: 68.1 (150th)
  • ORtg: 111.6 (23rd)
  • DRtg: 102.7 (253rd)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • MSU: Gabe Brown - F (11.4 ppg, 4 rpg)
  • MSU: Malik Hall - F (9.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
  • OHST: E.J. Liddell - F (19.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
  • OHST: Malaki Branham - G (12.7 ppg)
Michigan State has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games. (AP)

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING CONCLUSION

Neither team plays defense at a high level. Yet, when you are having issues scoring points that should not be a factor on Thursday night. Each side is simply looking for a much needed win as the regular season winds down.

Recent trends on the total line point to a lower score than expected with three of the last five meetings staying UNDER the closing line. Michigan State holds the SU 7-3 edge over the last 10 meetings and it is 6-4 ATS.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING TRENDS

  • Michigan State has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games.
  • Michigan State has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last nine games.
  • Ohio State has gone UNDER the point total in six of its last eight games.

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Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab
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