Ohio State vs Nebraska Odds, Lines, and Spread (Jan 2)

• Ohio State is a nine-point road favorite over Nebraska on Sunday night
• Ohio State has not played since Dec. 11 because of a COVID-19 outbreak
• A look at the odds and matchup can be found below

Ohio State returns from a three-week pause because of a COVID-19 outbreak when it visits Nebraska at 8pm ET Sunday in a Big Ten game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

Ohio State (8-2, 2-0 Big Ten, 1-1 road) last played Dec. 11 when it beat then-#22 Wisconsin 72-55 at home to stretch its winning streak to four games. Nebraska (6-7, 0-2 Big Ten, 6-4 home) has been off since beating visiting Kennesaw State 88-74 on Dec. 22 to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Buckeyes are favored in a game that will be broadcast by the Big Ten Network.

Ohio State vs Nebraska Odds

Odds as of January 2nd at FanDuel.

Ohio State Outlook

As of Saturday, all of Ohio State’s players were out of the COVID protocols. Coach Chris Holtmann expects to have a full roster for Sunday night’s game.

Junior forward E.J. Liddell has made an early case to be considered for Big Ten Player of the Year. His averages of 20.6 points and 3.0 blocked shots a game both rank 14th nationally.

Be back soon ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qBRtPQaGM5

— E.J. Liddell (@EasyE2432) December 27, 2021

Liddell is also pulling down 7.2 rebounds and dishing 2.7 assists a game. He has scored at least 13 points in all 10 games and shot at least 50% in eight of them.

Against Wisconsin, Liddell set a career high with 11 made field goals as he finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Ohio State overcame an early eight-point deficit to win easily as it shot 50% (29-of 48) from the field while holding Wisconsin to 33.8% (22-of-65). The Buckeyes also dominated the boards, outrebounding Wisconsin 49-28 and limiting the Badgers to two second-chance points.

Sophomore forward Zed Key added 11 points and nine rebounds, lifting his season averages to 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Zed Key. Nails.

Buckeyes survive!pic.twitter.com/4BJzUX0hmx

— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) November 10, 2021

Senior forward Kyle Young was limited to five points, half his season average, but had a career-high 14 rebounds. He is averaging 6.7 boards.

Ohio State is ninth in the country in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency with 114.9 points scored per 100 possessions.

Nebraska Outlook

Nebraska went into the holiday break on a high note, shooting 52.6% (30-of-57) in the win over Kennesaw State. The Cornhuskers also drained 15-of-29 three-point attempts for 51.7%.

Senior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. had 16 points and 12 assists for his fourth double-double of the season. He finished with four more assists than Kennesaw State had as a team.

There's a lot of talented @B1GMBBall transfers.

One of them: @HuskerHoops' Alonzo Verge Jr. (@zo_verge1).

Check out the sweet hesi ⤵️. 😱 pic.twitter.com/F0OOiP7FMi

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 31, 2021

In his first season following his transfer from Arizona State, Verge is stuffing the stat sheet with averages of 16.4 points, 5.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals. His steals rank him 17th nationally.

Sophomore guard Keisei Tominaga had a team-high 18 points and made four three-pointers.

Bryce McGowens continued his fine freshman season with 11 points. The guard is averaging 15.6 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Junior forward Derrick Walker added 11 points and three blocked shots. He is scoring 9.0 points and pulling down 6.4 rebounds a game.

What a play by Derrick Walker. pic.twitter.com/j55yGjjhtf

— Sam McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) February 14, 2021

Nebraska was outrebounded 42-31 and committed 17 turnovers. However, the Cornhuskers compensated by forcing Kennesaw State into 21 turnovers and holding it to 7-of-26 (26.9%) from long distance.

Kennesaw State took a 16-8 led with 14:10 left in the first half but a three by Tominaga started a string of 15 consecutive points that put Nebraska up 23-16. The Cornhuskers then gradually pulled away as it had runs of 13-5 and 12-2 later in the game.

Ohio State vs Nebraska Prediction

Ohio State has a five-game winning streak in the series and won nine of the last 10 games. The Buckeyes rolled to a 90-54 victory at home in last season’s lone meeting as Key had 14 points.

It stands to reason that Ohio State could be a little rusty after a long layoff. However, the Buckeyes have the talent and offensive firepower to cover the spread.

• The Play: Ohio State -9 (-110)