The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (24-8) square off against the No. 12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (28-6) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Taco Bell Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
Ohio State is an 8-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 147 points.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Free Prediction
In the , the Jackrabbits defeated the South Dakota Coyotes, 97-87. South Dakota State’s effective field goal percentage was their biggest advantage over South Dakota. The Jackrabbits had a rate of 0.585 (above their season average of 0.555), while the Coyotes posted a mark of 0.453 (below their season average of 0.540). Mike Daum had a good outing for South Dakota State, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
The Buckeyes lost a close one to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the , 69-68. Making free throws was one of Penn State’s largest advantages. They were 16-20 (80.0 percent), while the Buckeyes were 8-11 (72.7 percent). With 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting, Keita Bates-Diop was the game’s high scorer.
This meeting figures to be a shootout as two of the NCAA’s top offenses battle. Ohio State currently ranks 55th with 112.1 points per 100 possessions and South Dakota State is ninth (117.8). It will also be a matchup of contrasting tempos as the up-and-down Jackrabbits rank 59th in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Buckeyes rank 267th.
South Dakota State comes into the contest with records of 28-6 straight up (SU) and 19-9 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Jackrabbits’ games have finished over the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is 24-8 SU and 15-14-1 ATS. Games involving the Buckeyes have a tendency to go under the projected point total (70.0 percent).
Mike Daum has averaged 26.6 points and 12.2 rebounds over the last five games for South Dakota State.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Pick
Free Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Ohio State, ATS Winner – South Dakota State, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
South Dakota State ranks 29th in three pointers attempted per game (26.4) while Ohio State ranks 242nd (19.1).
The Buckeyes rank 21st in rebounds allowed per game (31.3) while the Jackrabbits rank 174th (35.2).
South Dakota State is 12th in the NCAA with 4.8 steals allowed per game while Ohio State is 32nd with 5.2 steals allowed per game.
The Jackrabbits are 35th in the nation with 2.6 blocks allowed per game while the Buckeyes are 36th with 2.6 blocks allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
The Jackrabbits’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 9.6, down from 10.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Buckeyes have scored an average of 69.0 points per game (6.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 70.4 points per game (3.7 above their season average).
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