Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes December 8 Betting Preview

In the Big Ten on Thursday Night, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. This game is slated for 7:00 p.m local time from Value City Arena in Columbus. 

The Buckeyes come into the game as a six-point favorite, with the total for this game at 136.5.

Scarlet Knights Looking To Spoil On The Road

Rutgers is looking to grab a road win following their massive home win over Indiana on Saturday. The win was huge, guaranteeing a split of the first two Big Ten games. A road win would put them in an outstanding position heading into the new year. Rutgers controlled the game leading by seven at the half and holding the 10th-ranked Hoosiers to just 48 points in the game. The win came following a road loss at Miami to end November.

Caleb McConnell was the leading scorer with 16 points, while he added 10 rebounds in the win. The Scarlet Knights are getting 12 points per game from him on the season, which is third. Clifford Omoruyi and Cam Spencer are the top scorers, as they are combining for 29.2 per game.

The Scarlet Knights other loss this season came back on November 18 when they fell to Temple 72-66. The win over the Hoosiers was, of course, their best of the season, with a pretty weak nonconference slate. Rutgers will finish 2022 with home games against Seton Hall, Wake Forest, Bucknell, and Coppin State before getting back to Big Ten play on January 2 at Purdue.

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Ohio State Has High Hopes

This is the first Big Ten game of the season for the Ohio State Buckeyes. They play just one game in conference play before the new year. 

This is the middle of a pretty difficult stretch for the Buckeyes, who fell to Duke to end November, and will see the North Carolina Tar Heels following this game. Ohio State is coming off a 96-59 pounding over St. Francis on December 3.

The Buckeyes are scoring 80.5 points per game, which ranks inside the Top 45 in all of College Basketball. The top scorers so far for Ohio State have been Brice Sensabaugh, Zed Key, and Justice Sueing. Those three combine for over 40 points per game for the Buckeyes. Key is also the main man in the paint, as he leads the team with eight rebounds per game.

Ohio State’s other loss this season came back on November 21, when the San Diego State Aztecs got them in that one 88-77.

Buckeyes Get Off To Hot Big Ten Start

While Rutgers may have all the momentum from winning at home over Indiana, this is going to be a different animal. The Buckeyes are going to be ready to start conference play, and the Scarlet Knights will have a tough time keeping up offensively. Look for Ohio State to attack the basket and get to the foul line early and often.

 It’s hard to envision a case where the Scarlet Knights keep this game within striking distance. Betting the Ohio State Buckeyes -5.5 over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights seems to be the right place on Thursday night.