Indiana vs #4 Ohio State Road to March Madness | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

No team outside of unbeaten Gonzaga and Baylor is playing better than No. 4 Ohio State right now and the Buckeyes will be solid favorites on the NCAAB odds to continue their Big Ten winning streak at home vs. NCAA Tournament bubble team Indiana on Saturday.

How to Bet Indiana at Ohio State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Saturday, noon ET
• Where: Value City Arena
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: ESPN app
• Radio: Tunein.com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (OSU will be favored)

Last Meeting

This is the only scheduled meeting this season, while the schools split last year with each winning at home. In Columbus, it was 68-59 in favor of the Buckeyes. Kaleb Wasson (no longer with OSU) scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, dominating Indiana in the paint. Ohio State led at the intermission 31-22, despite firing away from 3-point range and hitting few (3 for 13). The Buckeyes kept firing in the second half, hitting 7 of 14.

Why Bet on Indiana? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

Indiana probably would be an NCAA Tournament team as things stand at 11-8 and 6-6 in the Big Ten but is close to the bubble. The Hoosiers avoided an upset at Northwestern on Wednesday, winning 79-76 in double overtime – the 10^th straight loss for the Wildcats.

In 50 minutes of play, IU led for two minutes and 35 seconds. It led for just 14 seconds in the first 45 minutes. It overcame a seven-point deficit at the end of regulation, and six points at the end of the first overtime period.

“You don’t win if you’re not gritty, if you’re not tough-minded. We found a way on a day we probably shouldn’t have won,” Coach Archie Miller said.

Jerome Hunter put Indiana ahead 75-71 with 16.2 seconds left in the second overtime on a step-back 3-pointer. Chase Audige answered at the other end on a corner 3-pointer, and Aljami Durham helped the Hoosiers seal it by making four free throws in the final 5.7 seconds. Hunter, who did not play in Indiana’s previous two games due to a coach’s decision, finished with seven points. Indiana was 27 of 38 from the free-throw line compared to Northwestern’s 12 attempts.

Durham established a career-high with 24 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep. He also connected on 11-of-12 shots from the free throw line. The game marked his ninth double-figure scoring outing of the season and fifth with at least 15 points.

Armaan Franklin tied a career-high with 23 points. He was 7-for-8 from the line, and added five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis had a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double. TJD has recorded double-doubles in three-straight games, in eight games this season, and 20 times in his career. The Hoosiers are 15-4 in double-double games from Jackson-Davis.

Indiana has won two of its seven games against ranked teams this season, but the Hoosiers have won their last three road games overall, scoring 81.3 points, while allowing 73.7 per game.

Why Bet on Ohio State? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Buckeyes (16-4, 10-4 Big Ten) won their fifth in a row and eighth in the past nine on Monday, 73-65 at Maryland. Kyle Young scored six points during an 11-2 run that turned Ohio State’s five-point halftime lead into a 46-32 advantage. After Maryland got within 10, Young scored five points and Duane Washington popped a 3 during a 10-4 spurt that made it 58-42 with eight minutes left. From there, Ohio State coasted to its first victory in College Park since the 1979 NIT. The Buckeyes limited Maryland to 40% shooting and a 5-for-19 performance from beyond the arc.

“Give them credit, they’re a good team,” coach Mark Turgeon said of Ohio State. “We couldn’t make a shot to start the second half. We go through some lulls. That’s who we are.”

Four Buckeyes scored in double figures led by Washington and Young with 18 points apiece. Washington was 7-of-15 from the floor and also had four rebounds and four assists. For Young, the 18 points were a career high. Justin Ahrens and CJ Walker each chipped-in with 11 points.

Ohio State has won five-consecutive Big Ten road games for the second time in the Chris Holtmann era. The current streak started with a win at Rutgers then with wins at Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Maryland. The 2018 Buckeyes won at Wisconsin, Iowa, Rutgers, Northwestern, vs. Minnesota (at MSG in NYC) and at Purdue.

Since the 2013 Big Ten season, Ohio State has been ranked among the Top 5 nationally 16 times with a record of 11-5. As a Top 10 team all-time, Ohio State is 346-80. When ranked No. 4, Ohio State owns a record of 38-6.

Sophomore E.J. Liddell has been named to the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Midseason Team for Men’s Player of the Year. Liddell leads the Buckeyes in scoring (14.9 ppg.), rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and blocks (24). He is second in steals (14).

Expert College Basketball Prediction

Ohio State 75, Indiana 69

 

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