Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers January 18 Betting Preview

The Ohio State Buckeyes will look to put an end to their current four-game losing streak on Wednesday evening when they take on the Cornhuskers of Nebraska. The Buckeyes were once a Top-25 ranked team in the nation, but their recent skid has them currently at 10-7 overall and just 2-4 in Big Ten play. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers Overview

Nebraska enters the game with just a 9-9 record on the season but have developed a reputation of being a feisty bunch. Fred Hoiberg’s Huskers may have lost nine games on the season, but each of those losses have come against teams currently ranked in the Top-61 teams on the Pomeroy rankings. 

They have also defeated Creighton and Iowa while taking Purdue to overtime before eventually falling by only three points.

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Hoiberg’s club is the worst team in the Big Ten this season against the spread at just 6-12 overall. However, the margin between being very good against the spread and being bad is razor thin as they are actually outperforming the number on average, albeit by just +0.1 points per game. 

As a home team, they are slightly better at 4-4 ATS on the season and outperforming the number by +1.2 points per contest with a margin of victory of +8.6 points per game. 

The Huskers have some nice balance on this roster, with six players averaging at least eight points per game. The team is led by senior forward Derrick Walker, who's putting up 14.1 points per game along with 7.7 rebounds; both averages are top on the team. Walker is coming off a 19-point, six-rebound, four-assist game against Purdue over the weekend.

Ohio State Buckeyes Overview

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the more confusing teams in college basketball at the moment. In true Chris Holtmann fashion, this team is once again one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, ranking four in adjusted offensive efficiency. However, it has been their defense that has them falling recently. 

The Buckeyes surrendered 1.18 points per possession in January 5th’s loss to Purdue, 1.19 ppp to Maryland, and 1.06 to Minnesota. That last one is inexcusable, as the Gophers rank 219th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency.

The Buckeyes have become one of the worst teams in the Big Ten against the spread this season at just 7-10 overall. On the road, they have covered just once in four attempts this season which was on New Year’s Day at Northwestern. Coincidentally, that was also the last time the Buckeyes covered any game, going 0-4 ATS during their current four-game skid.