Ohio State vs. Minnesota February 15, 2022 Big Ten Basketball Betting Preview

The No. 18 team in the country, Ohio State Buckeyes, are hosting the Minnesota Golden Gophers Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. After a disappointing loss to Rutgers last week, the Buckeyes avenged this loss against their rival Michigan Wolverines. The Golden Gophers also won on their last outing against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Ohio State has held steady being fifth in the Big Ten with a conference record of 8-4. Minnesota is on the other end of the conference with a record of 3-10 in conference play in the twelfth. They will be looking to turn things around with a marquee win in Columbus.

Let’s look ahead at this February Big Ten Showdown.

Odds

The Ohio State Buckeyes are huge 12.5 point favorites. At -12.5, they have the odds of -110 to win at that spread. The Golden Gophers have the same odds of -110 to cover at +12.5. The over/under for total points scored in the game is 141 with odds of -110 to bet the over or under.

By the Numbers

On the offensive end, the Buckeyes rank 15th in effective field goal percentage, 16th in shooting efficiency, and 19th in three-point percentage. They excel in taking advantage of their limited possessions because of their lack of size and rank 281st in field goals attempted. 

On the defensive end, Ohio State has struggled greatly this year. They rank 99th in opponent shooting efficiency, 203rd in field goals given up and 328th in turnovers caused per game.

The Golden Gophers, they have had problems on both ends of the floor. Offensively, they rank 213th in points per game with 68.6 and 320th in total rebounds per game with 31.4. Defensively, they rank 325th in opponents' assists to turnover ratio at 1.28 and 237th in opponent shooting percentage.

One category that Minnesota does well in is their discipline in not fouling. They rank 13th in personal fouls per game and 12th in opponent free throws attempted per game.

Expected Outcome

This is not the year for the Golden Gophers and this game against the Buckeyes will not be the game where they turn it around. EJ Liddell and the Ohio State Buckeyes have excelled due to their efficient offense, and they struggle against teams who rebound the ball well. Minnesota is not one of those teams so the Buckeyes should win with ease.

I am rolling with the Buckeyes to cover the 12.5 point spread at home as they look to play more consistent basketball as we move closer to March. The Buckeyes have more important things to worry about than the Golden Gophers, and they should have no reason to worry.

Upcoming Matchups

This weekend, the Buckeyes will host the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that was originally postponed due to winter weather in Columbus. Minnesota has a quick turnaround after their Tuesday night matchup in Columbus. They will travel to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday and then return home for a matchup against Northwestern on Saturday.

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