Nebraska vs. Ohio State March 1 NCAA Basketball Betting Preview

The Ohio State Buckeyes will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Value City Arena on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET. Ohio State dropped to No. 23 in the AP Top 25 rankings after getting upset by Maryland 75-60. Daron Russell lit up the Buckeyes for 27 points, including some big late-game shots to seal the win for the Terrapins.

Nebraska is on a one-game winning streak after beating Penn State by a score of 93-70 on Sunday. Guard Bryce McGowens led the team with 25 points and added six rebounds to his stat sheet.

Let’s take a look ahead at this Big Ten matchup as the regular season comes to an end in about a week.

Expected Odds

Ohio State is a massive 14.5 point favorite at home versus Nebraska. The Buckeyes are fourth in the conference which is one of the most competitive in the nation. Nebraska sits dead last in the Big Ten with a record of 2-16.

The over/under for the game is 150.5 in which I would take over because of how porous the Nebraska defense has been this year. I expect the Ohio State offense to score at ease. Ohio State’s defense and size is nothing to write home about which leads me to believe that Nebraska should be able to score, as well.

Team Keys to the Game

For the Buckeyes, outside of particular players, they need to focus on taking smart shots and keeping the Cornhuskers from getting many offensive rebounds. Ohio State can’t lose another crucial game at the end of the season and fall out of the Top 25 rankings. If they allow Nebraska to dominate the boards, then this could be a close game in the end.

Their effective shooting has been the most consistent factor for the Buckeyes this year which has proved extremely helpful for a team with their lack of size. Getting the ball into EJ Liddell’s hands and giving him the space to make plays should help the Buckeyes to rout Nebraska.

For the Cornhuskers, they have not been extremely effective or consistent in many team stats which explains why they find themselves at the bottom of the Big Ten. The success they have found on the offensive end has been forcing their opponents to foul to extend the game and get as many points from the line as they can.

This should help their defense as well because their 79.3 points per game given up ranks 347th in the NCAA. A team like Ohio State is a great matchup for a poor defense like Nebraska’s because they can defend for less possessions. If they can force some tough shots and rebound the ball well, then they could help their cause in this one.

Expected Outcome

I would take the Buckeyes to win this game with ease with the spread because these two teams are nowhere close to each other in terms of talent. There is a lot more that needs to happen for Nebraska to win compared to Ohio State.

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