Big Ten foes will lock horns when the Ohio State Buckeyes (12-8) challenge the Penn State Nittany Lions (11-9) at Value City Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 25 and can be seen on BTN.
The Buckeyes are hoping to rebound after their 75-64 loss to Purdue on Thursday. Despite the loss, Jae’Sean Tate earned his third double-double this season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 66-60 loss against Wisconsin on Thursday. Julian Moore played well for Penn State, recording eight points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.
The Ohio State defense could make it difficult on the shooters from Penn State. It ranks 32nd in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 45.4%), while the Penn State offense is 298th with a mark of 47.0%.
Ohio State is an eight-point favorite against Penn State and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 139 points. The Buckeyes come into this game 12-8 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10 Against The Spread (ATS). Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Ohio State’s stingy defense. The Buckeyes are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 61.5 points per home game. The Buckeyes have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 29th in the country with a .394 opponent field-goal percentage.
Over on the other bench, the Nittany Lions have records of 9-9-1 ATS and 11-9 SU. Taking care of the basketball is something the Nittany Lions do very well, averaging just 11.2 turnovers per game.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Ohio State won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over Penn State in their most recent meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Buckeyes also have the advantage ATS. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – OhioSt, ATS Winner – OhioSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Ohio State is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ohio State’s last 7 games.
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Ohio State’s last 23 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Ohio State’s last 12 games when playing Penn State.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Ohio State’s last 7 games when playing at home against Penn State.
Penn State scores an average of just 66.7 points per game (ranked 305th). Ohio State ranks 68th in points allowed, giving up 66.9 points per game.
Penn State scores just 62.9 points per away game (ranked 300th). Ohio State ranks 44th in points allowed at home, giving up 61.5 points.
On average, Ohio State has 68.6 possessions per game and scores 1.044 points on each possession. Penn State has both fewer possessions (65.2) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.023).
Ohio State has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.7%. Penn State is an abysmal 1-6 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Ohio State attempts 19.0 three pointers and Penn State attempts 18.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Ohio State Buckeyes sit at 7-4 and the Penn State Nittany Lions are 6-3.
Ohio State, the 84th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 38.5 rebounds per game. Penn State does worse, ranked 267th with 34.8.
The Ohio State Buckeyes average 6.2 steals per game. When allowing 6 or more steals, the Penn State Nittany Lions are an even 3-3 this season.
