Upcoming Match-ups

Indiana vs Ohio State Picks and Odds

Jordan Horrobin

by Jordan Horrobin in College Basketball

Updated Feb 12, 2021 · 7:26 PM PST

Ohio State's Justin Ahrens dribbling the ball past Indiana's Justin Smith during a NCAA men's basketball game.
Ohio State's Justin Ahrens, left, dribbles past Indiana's Justin Smith during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State beat Indiana 68-59. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
  • #4 Ohio State (16-4, 10-4 Big Ten) battles Indiana (11-8, 6-6 Big Ten) on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 12pm ET
  • A two-point loss on Jan. 19 is Ohio State’s only blemish in its past nine games
  • The odds for the game, as well as matchup analysis and a pick, can be found in the article below

With the way Ohio State is playing right now, Indiana looks like just another team on its schedule waiting to be run over. But for as hot as the Buckeyes are right now, the Hoosiers enter Saturday’s matchup (12pm ET tip off) with a pair of impressive recent wins and five consecutive well-played games.

The Buckeyes are favored, as a top-5 team always is against an unranked opponent, but there’s reason to believe the Hoosier can give ’em heck. Here’s a look at the odds.

#4 Ohio State vs. Indiana Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Ohio State -6.5 (-110) N/A Over 139.5 (-110)
Indiana +6.5 (-110) N/A Under 139.5 (-110)

Odds taken Feb. 12th at FanDuel

How They’ve Fared Recently

Ohio State might’ve been a bit of an under the radar stud entering Big Ten play, after a non-conference schedule that featured very little resistance. But now, the secret is out: the Buckeyes are truly legit.

Since Jan. 9, when Ohio State was unranked, the team has gone 8-1 to rise to the #4 spot in the country. Their lone loss came against Purdue, 67-65, a game in which they held the lead into the final minute.

The Buckeyes are an offensive juggernaut (fourth in NCAA Division I in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom) that rarely turns the ball over and shoots free throws effectively. On defense, their strong positioning keeps teams to a modest 47.8 percent effective field goal rate (83rd in D-I), but they struggle to produce turnovers.

Indiana has a rather stout defense (20th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency), but they too struggle with forcing turnovers. What the Hoosiers don’t struggle producing, however, is drama.

On five occasions this season, Indiana has gone to overtime (and two of those games went to double overtime). They are 2-3 in those games, including a four-point OT loss to #6 Illinois on Feb. 2 and a three-point 2OT win against Northwestern on Wednesday.

Results in the past three weeks have been very encouraging for the Hoosiers: a win at #15 Iowa, a four-point loss to #25 Rutgers, a four-point loss to Illinois, another win against Iowa and then a road win against Northwestern.

ATS Analysis

Ohio State is 12-7-1 against the spread, including a 6-4 ATS record at home. The Buckeyes have covered in their past three games (and four of five), and they’ve seen the over hit in four of their past five games.

Indiana is 11-7-1 ATS, but that improves to a 4-1-1 ATS mark on the road. The Hoosiers’ only ATS road loss came on Dec. 26 against Illinois, when they were three points shy of covering as 6.5-point underdogs. The over has hit in three of their past four games.

Head-to-Head Matchup

In four meetings between these teams over the past two seasons, Ohio State has won three of four matchups straight up and ATS. The Buckeyes were favorites in both games last year, covering narrowly as seven-point favorites in a 68-59 win, and losing straight up as 2.5-point favorites in a 66-54 Hoosiers’ victory.

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Both teams have seen a handful of last year’s starters depart, so there’s no edge there. The Hoosiers’ ATS road record is no joke, but the Buckeyes are piping hot — and that’s why we like them to cover

Pick: Ohio State -6.5 (-110)

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