The Ohio State Buckeyes (7-5) square off against the South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-8) at Value City Arena. The game starts at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Dec. 27 and will air on BTN.
The Buckeyes won big over Mercer 64-44 in their last game. Jae’Sean Tate played well, contributing 13 points, seven steals, and six rebounds for the Buckeyes. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a deflating 98-71 loss to East Carolina in their last outing. Ed Stephens stood out for South Carolina State, accumulating 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Ohio State is a considerable 23-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is 136 points. The Buckeyes are attempting to build on their records of 7-5 Straight Up (SU) and 6-6 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams routinely struggle to score points against the Buckeyes, who allow only 63.4 points per game. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Buckeyes, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .385. An area where the Buckeyes are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.9 blocks per game, 17th in Division I.
South Carolina State has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.5 per game.
Ohio State and South Carolina State have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – OhioSt, ATS Winner – OhioSt, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio State’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio State’s last 5 games at home.
South Carolina State scores just 64.3 points per away game (ranked 259th). Ohio State ranks 48th in points allowed at home, giving up 59.8 points.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have a defensive rating of 93.2 (ranked 40th), while the South Carolina State Bulldogs have an offensive rating of 103.9 (ranked 205th).
Ohio State has an average field goal percentage of 45.4%. South Carolina State is a losing 2-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Ohio State Buckeyes and the South Carolina State Bulldogs both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Ohio State is 119th and 113th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while South Carolina State ranks 249th and 227th in these categories.
South Carolina State ranks 95th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.20. Ohio State is ranked lower at 307th with an A/TO of .80.
The South Carolina State Bulldogs average 5.6 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Ohio State Buckeyes are an even 3-3 this season.
