NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Tuesday, February 15, 2011
 |
vs.
|
 |
Michigan State (14-10, 6-6 Big Ten) at #3 Ohio State (24-1, 11-1 Big Ten)
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 15, 9:00 pm EST
Venue: Value City Arena in Columbus OH.
Broadcast: ESPN
Money Line: OFF
Spread: Ohio State -12 ½
Over/Under: 137 ½
The No.1 team in the county will take on Tom Izzo’s struggling Spartans as Ohio State does battle with Michigan State at the Value City Arena on Tuesday in a Big 10 showdown.
Click Here for more Free Expert NCAA Basketball Picks
The Buckeyes look to bounce back from their first loss of the season after falling from glory in a 71-67 heartbreaker at Wisconsin on Saturday. Ohio State let a 15-point lead slip away as the Badgers came in strong, having won four of their last five and dictated the game by crushing the Buckeyes in three pointers and by grabbing more offensive rebounds.
William Buford did his best to keep the Ohio State in it with 21 points while Jared Sullinger topped both teams with 12 rebounds.
Now the Buckeyes will look to get back on the rails at home, a place where they are a perfect 16-0 this season. Offensively the Buckeyes are averaging 77.4 points per game while shooting an impressive 49.7 percent from the floor while grabbing 34.9 offensive rebounds per game.
Sullinger is averaging 18 points and 10.3 rebounds, Buford is averaging 13.9 points, and David Lighty is averaging 12.3 points. Defensively Ohio State allows their opponents to score just 58.3 points per game and shoot 41.8 percent from the floor while the Buckeyes are 11th in the country in defensive rebounding.
As for MSU, lost five of their last seven games though they sit in fourth place in the Big Ten.
Meanwhile, the Spartans have gone just 2-6 on the road this season, 6-6 in conference play, and 3-6 against teams ranked in the top 25. Offensively the Spartans are averaging 71 points per game while shooting 44 percent and grabbing 37 rebounds per game.
If Michigan State is going to get on track, consistency is going to be key, and they will need to carry some momentum into this one after coming off a 75-57 rout of Penn State last Thursday. The Spartans dominated the Nittany Lions, leading by 20 at the half. They won the contest by outworking Penn State in both shooting and rebounding. Kalin Lucas led all Spartans with 24 points on 50 percent shooting, 12 of that in threes. Draymond Green also put up a game-high 14 rebounds.
Lucas is averaging 16.2 points, while Green is averaging 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Durrell Summers rounds out the trio of double-digit scorers with 13.2 points and 4.3 assists per outing. Defensively Michigan State is allowing their opponents to score 67.8 points as their opponents shoot 42.9 percent from the floor and they are 116th in defensive rebounding.
The odds makers have the Ohio State Buckeyes as a -12.5 point favorite with an over/under of 137.5.
Check out the latest College Basketball Odds here.
Matt’s Free Pick: Ohio State– This should be a physical low scoring game as both of these teams can defend, and at 136.5 this looks like a solid play on the under with the Buckeyes coming out on top.
Need more help making your picks winners? Check out our top handicappers.
Michigan State Spartans Betting Trends:
- Michigan State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Michigan State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan State’s last 6 games on the road
- Michigan State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Trends:
- Ohio State is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ohio State’s last 6 games
- Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio State’s last 6 games at home
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.