The No.7-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes play the No.10-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions in the second round of the Big 10 tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Action starts at 6:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Buckeyes fell to Michigan State 91-76 in their last matchup. Marc Loving was the team’s high scorer, recording 21. The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are coming off an 86-79 win over Illinois in their last outing. Shep Garner was the team’s top scorer, accumulating 22 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
Loving has taken his game to another level as of late for the Buckeyes, averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers over the last five games. Garner has been on a tear for the Nittany Lions. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 4.0 three-pointers.
The Ohio State defense should have a clear edge in terms of eFG%. It ranks 17th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 46.3%), while the Penn State offense is 309th with a mark of 46.4%. Furthermore, the 279th-ranked offense of the Nittany Lions (offensive efficiency of 100.0) will face a tough test against the 26th-ranked defense of the Buckeyes (defensive efficiency of 99.1).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Buckeyes won the first game 66-46. Keita Bates-Diop had a stellar game with 22 points, eight rebounds, one assist, four blocks, and four three-pointers.
The Buckeyes come into this game 19-12 Straight Up (SU) and 16-15 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams have to fight for open shots against the Buckeyes, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .401.
On the other side, the Nittany Lions have 16-15 SU and 14-15-1 ATS records. Penn State’s defense is one of the top in the nation, with opponents shooting only .423 from the field.
Ohio State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against Penn State to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Buckeyes also have the advantage ATS. Ohio State has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) two times over the last five games, while Penn State accomplished this one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – OhioSt, ATS Winner – OhioSt
Notes
The Penn State Nittany Lions have a defensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 74th), while the Ohio State Buckeyes have an offensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 218th).
The Ohio State Buckeyes average 68.1 possessions and 1.038 points per possession in games this season. The Penn State Nittany Lions average fewer possessions with 65.5, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.000.
The Ohio State Buckeyes average an effective field goal percentage of 50.2% this season. The Penn State Nittany Lions have an underachieving record of 1-12 when opponents have an eFG% of 50.2% or greater.
Ohio State attempts an average of 18.0 three pointers per game and Penn State attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a solid 9-5 record while the Penn State Nittany Lions have an 11-9 record.
Ohio State, the 95th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 37.7 rebounds per game. Penn State does worse, ranked 252nd with 34.8.
Ohio State records 5.5 steals per game. Penn State is 11-10 when giving up at least 5 steals.
