Ohio State vs. Cincinnati Maui Invitational November 22 Betting Preview

Unfortunately, Ohio State and Cincinnati lost in their first games of the Maui tournament, leading them to the consolation bracket. The two teams will meet Tuesday night with bragging rights for the "better" basketball school in Ohio.

Cincinnati Betting Preview

The story heading into Cincinnati's matchup with Arizona was that Arizona is one of the top offensive teams in the nation, while Cincinnati was one of the better defensive teams out there.

Arizona held true to their strong suit, while Cincinnati struggled defensively for the first time this season.

Cincinnati allowed 101 points in their loss to Arizona, giving up 61 of those points in the second half. Wes Miller was clear in his message postgame about the defense in that it just wasn't good enough.

"They hung 61 on us in the second half. That's not good enough." 

I think it is safe to say Ohio State looks the overall more complete team, but it may take them more time than usual to find their groove against legit opponents, unlike who they faced in their first three games of the seaon. 

If Cincinnati can get back to their strong defensive ways in this game and limit the impact guys like Zed Key and Brice Sensabaugh, they have a shot.

Ohio State Betting Preview

If you are a believer in riding the numbers and the trends when it comes to sports betting, you might like Ohio State in this one. Why? The Buckeyes are 2-0 against Cincinnati in the Chris Holtman era. 

Ohio State was able to keep it a pretty interesting game most of the way against Dan Diego State, which is encouraging no matter what way you look at it. 

Brice Sensabaugh continues to score at a solid level for the Buckeyes, and they will need more of that if they plan on winning this game.

San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher paid nothing but respect to the Buckeyes after the game, stating if they had to play the Buckeyes again in a month, it would be another tough battle. 

While both Ohio State and Cincinnati did not win their contests, they both played their opponent tough, which should make for a fun game tonight.

Best Bet: Cincinnati +3.5

There is not a doubt in my mind that this game is going to come down to the wire. 

Cincinnati guard Landers Nolley II dropped 33 points last night against Arizona, and I think he can stay hot again tonight against Ohio State. 

Ohio State is averaging four more turnovers per game than Cincinnati, and Cincinnati is averaging just under five steals per game more than Ohio State.

If Cincinnati can create some turnovers and win the points-off-turnovers battle, I think they have a good chance to cover this 3.5 point spread.