Check out our free Northwestern vs Ohio State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Columbus. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Northwestern vs Ohio State Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 9th Betting Odds

Wildcats vs Buckeyes Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Northwestern Wildcats at Ohio State Buckeyes
  • Where: Columbus at Value City Arena
  • Date: Thursday, February 9th
  • Betting Odds: Northwestern +5.5, NW +189 | OHIOST -240 O/U 137.0

Wildcats Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Ohio State, the Northwestern Wildcats will be taking the floor for the 24th time this season and have an overall record of 16-7. On the road, the Wildcats will be playing their 7th game of the season, having gone 5-2. So far, the Wildcats have been the underdog 9 times, going 4-5 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +5.5 underdogs on the spread.

Northwestern’s leading scorer this season is Boo Buie, who is averaging 16.09 points per contest. So far, Buie has accounted for 23.54% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.43 rebounds per game and 4.48 assists. Chase Audige is the second leading scorer for the Wildcats, averaging 15.26 points per game. Between him and Audige, they are accounting for 45.9% of the team’s scoring.

On offense, Northwestern is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.0 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 23 games, they have only hit 34.7% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 38.69% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

Buckeyes Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Northwestern, the Ohio State Buckeyes will be taking the floor for the 24th time this season and have an overall record of 11-12. So far this season, Ohio State has played 13 games at home, sitting with a record of 9-4. The Buckeyes’ are sitting with a betting line that is -5.5 points in their favor. For the season, Ohio State has been favored to win in 14 games, sitting with a mark of 10-4.

Ohio State will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh who is averaging 17.26 points per game for the Buckeyes. Sensabaugh is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Buckeyes’ offensive game plan is the play of Justice Sueing who has hit 44.7% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 12.43 points per game.

On offense, Ohio State comes into the game looking to control the pace of play, as they are just 643rd in possessions per game. Even with their preference to slow the game down, the Buckeyes’ are scoring at a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.8 points per game. So far, 39.7% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, where they have connected at a rate of 37.3%.

Free Spread Prediction: Ohio State Buckeyes -5.5

If you are eying this matchup between Northwestern Wildcats and Ohio State Buckeyes as a candidate to place a bet, we have done the work for you and our model recommends taking Ohio State to cover the spread as -5.5 favorites on the road. Although both team’s are going to look to get up shots from outside, we see Ohio State shooting well enough to keep the Wildcats at bay. Before tip-off, lock in a bet on the Buckeyes’ to win the game and cover the spread.