Northwestern vs Ohio State Picks and Odds (Jan. 9)
- Northwestern takes on No. 13 Ohio State Sunday, January 9th, at 5:30pm ET in Columbus
- The Wildcats are coming off a 74-70 home loss to Penn State Wednesday
- See the current moneyline, point spread, and game total, plus predictions
The Northwestern Wildcats (8-4, 1-2 Big Ten) — who were picked to finish in a tie for 12th in the Big Ten preseason poll — aim to snap a two-game conference losing streak against the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-3, 3-1 Big Ten) Sunday at Value City Arena.
Tip-off is at 5:30pm ET on Big Ten Network.
Ohio State enters the contest as favorites according to oddsmakers and KenPom predicts the Buckeyes will win 75-68.
Northwestern vs Ohio State Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | OFF | +7.5 (-110) | O 140 (-110) |
| Ohio State | OFF | -7.5 (-110) | U 140 (-110) |
Odds as of January 8th, 2022 at DraftKings
About The Matchup
Chris Collins’ team saw Boo Buie go for 20 points and a season-high eight assists and Pete Nance add 15 points in an eventual four-point loss. Penn State overcame a five-point halftime deficit to close out the victory with hot shooting from beyond the arc.
Meantime, Chris Holtmann’s club got 13 points from Malaki Branham and 11 from EJ Liddell in a 16-point loss to the Indiana Hoosiers. The Bucks were held to just 30.8% shooting and committed 15 turnovers, including five late in the second half. IU also held a 41-33 rebounding edge over OSU.
Northwestern Outlook
In the past four seasons, Northwestern has finished between 326th and 348th in KenPom’s “Luck” statistic. This year, the Wildcats are rated 342nd in the category following the latest late-game collapse. For whatever reason, this team simply can’t close.
Northwestern has lost a whopping 27 games by five points or less since making the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including three of its last four defeats.
GRITTY 🎥#WeAre pic.twitter.com/7RwM0KdxbC
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) January 6, 2022
Being competitive is great, but at some point, you need to finish. Until the Wildcats consistently win close games, bettors need to beware.
There’s plenty of talent on this roster to make it happen. Four players average in double-figures, with Nance (15.9 ppg) and Buie (15.3) leading the way. They’re joined by Chase Audige (10.2) and Ryan Young (10.0).
The Wildcats take care of the ball, rating fourth in offensive turnover percentage and pilfer it plenty, rating third in offensive steal percentage.
This is a group that has already knocked off a Big Ten opponent on the road (Maryland) and is capable of doing it again.
Anomaly or Trend?
The Buckeyes shot just 34% in the first half against the Hoosiers, but only trailed 33-30 at the break. Ohio State cut the lead to one with 10 minutes to play, but were eventually done in by another stellar performance by Trayce Jackson-Davis.
He led the Hoosiers with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
This sequence is an absolute dagger 🏹.
CC: @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/pIOgiQWTi7
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 7, 2022
As ugly as Thursday’s performance was, it feels like a one-off. IU may not be ranked, but it was a one-point favorite heading in. And Ohio State is a team that had won five in a row — including handing Duke its only loss of the season — prior to the loss.
Liddell, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, is the straw that stirs the drink for Holtmann’s group. He’s averaging team highs in points (18.9) and rebounds (7.4) and is second on the Bucks in assists (2.7).
OSU is rated 19th overall by KenPom and is in the top-20 in three offensive categories: offensive adjusted efficiency (16th), offensive effective field goal percentage (13th) and offensive 3-point field goal percentage (17th).
With four other players putting up at least nine points a game, Liddell has help.
Northwestern vs Ohio State Pick
Ohio State is clearly the better team in this spot, and is coming off a tough loss on the road that saw OSU shoot extremely poorly.
The Buckeyes figure to bounce back against a Wildcat squad that has the players with the ability to compete. The question for Northwestern is can they win the close one? It won’t matter Sunday, when OSU wins by well more than five.
Pick: Ohio State -7.5 (-110)
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Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
