The Big Ten has a massive battle on the college basketball betting board Sunday when the Iowa Hawkeyes visit the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State, which takes a two-game slide into Sunday, is a 3-point favorite at home to Iowa, which is also coming off a loss. The Buckeyes stole an 89-85 road win as 5-point underdogs in Iowa City back on February 4, with these Big Ten programs trading wins and losses in their last five meetings.
These are our NCAA basketball betting free picks and predictions for Iowa vs. Ohio State on February 28.
Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio State Buckeyes betting preview
Injuries
Iowa: Jack Nunge C (Out), Connor McCaffery G (Questionable).
Ohio State: Kyle Young F (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Buckeyes are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight-up loss. Find more NCAA betting trends for Iowa vs. Ohio State.
NCAAB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonWith tipoff approaching, Ohio State is a 2.5-point favorite at FanDuel, after opening -1.5 Saturday afternoon and peaking at -4 this morning. Despite the late line movement toward Iowa, ticket count and money are both running 4/1 on the Buckeyes. The total dropped as low as 155.5 from a 160 opener, and it's now 157, with ticket count almost dead even and 63 percent of cash on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Hawkeyes don’t have to wait long for a chance to get the taste of a 22-point road loss to Michigan out of their mouths, playing their second straight away game just three days later. Iowa didn’t just lose big on the scoreboard in Ann Arbor, it also sustained two key injuries.
Sophomore center Jack Nunge was lost for the season due to a knee injury and starting guard Connor McCaffery – son of head coach Fran McCaffrey – left the game versus the Wolverines with an ankle injury and his status is up in the air for Sunday.
Ohio State has injury concerns of its own, following losses to Michigan and Michigan State. Senior forward Kyle Young sat out the loss to the Spartans with a concussion, taking away one of the Buckeyes’ best two-way talents. Young is also a question mark for this vital Big Ten clash.
The Buckeyes did battle hard in East Lansing and have the pressure on them at home to not only inject their NCAA Tournament hopes with a win over the 12th-ranked Hawkeyes but also pull closer to booking a Top-3 spot in the conference postseason.
Ohio State clamps down on defense at home, giving up only 65.7 points per game inside Value City Arena, compared to 73.7 points allowed on the road. The focus of that defense will be Iowa superstar Luka Garza, who had a tough time finding his rhythm in the loss to Michigan.
The Hawkeyes 6-foot-11 center was 6 for 19 and finished with only 16 points and four rebounds on Thursday, and posted a similar stat line when Iowa fell to OSU at home earlier on the month—The Buckeyes limits Garza to 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
Garza doesn’t have his backup with reserve center Nunge out of action and the status of McCaffrey, whether he’s sidelined or slowed by the ankle injury, is scaring us off the Hawkeyes in this second straight road game.
PREDICTION: Ohio State -3 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
These two rivals posted 174 total points when they last met on February 4, including twin 14-for-32 performances from beyond the arc.
The Buckeyes will clamp down on Garza on the inside, giving plenty of clean air for Iowa’s perimeter threats. The Hawkeyes are coming off a poor 6-for-19 effort from distance in the loss to the Wolverines but are among the top 3-point threats in the country, picking up more than 40 percent of their points from beyond the arc over the last three games.
Ohio State needs to compete from deep to match the Hawkeyes’ sharpshooting and has the talents to do so. Duane Washington Jr. had a rough night versus MSU, but made five triples in the loss to Michigan on Feb. 21. Forward Justin Ahrens had a solid shooting day versus Iowa in the first meeting, with three makes from distance, and needs to find his stroke after failing to register a 3-point bucket in those two most recent losses.
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes have gone Over in three straight meetings and Ohio State is riding a 4-1-1 O/U mark in its last six games overall.
PREDICTION: Over 158.5 (-110)
Iowa vs Ohio State betting card
- Ohio State -3 (-110)
- Over 158.5 (-110)
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