Soon-to-Be #1 Ohio State 8.5-Point Road Favorites at Minnesota; Only the Buckeyes’ Second Road Test This Season
- No. 3 Ohio State (9-0) has only played one road game so far this year
- Unranked Minnesota (4-5) suffered its worst loss of the year on Monday at Iowa
- Ohio State has won seven of the past eight meetings – read below for our prediction
Ohio State (9-0) looks to keep its unbeaten record intact in a rather unfamiliar place: away from the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes will travel west to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-5) on Sunday in an early season Big Ten matchup.
With its white-hot start, Ohio State has worked its way into the top five 2020 NCAA Tournament title odds.
Ohio State vs. Minnesota Odds
| Team | Spread | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | -8.5 (-110) | Over 128.5 (-110) |
| Minnesota | +8.5 (-110) | Under 128.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Dec. 14
Recent Matchups
The Buckeyes have dominated this matchup in recent years, winning seven of eight (straight up and against the spread) dating back to February 2014.
Last season, as a nine-point favorite, the Buckeyes trounced the Golden Gophers (in Columbus, mind you) in a 79-59 win.
Nice bounce-back win. VERY nice way to open B1G play this season! ?
Get full highlights from @OhioStateHoops' Sunday night win over Minnesota: pic.twitter.com/BzPqRbZxDm
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) December 3, 2018
Ohio State has three of its starters from last year’s game back this year, while Minnesota has two of its starters back.
ATS Analysis
What makes Ohio State’s unbeaten start so impressive is that it has been nearly unstoppable ATS as well. The Buckeyes failed to cover as 23.5-point favorites against UMass last month (though they still won by 20), and have otherwise covered their other eight games.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has lost two of its past three ATS and has a pedestrian 5-4 ATS record overall. The Golden Gophers are also 1-3 ATS as the underdog this year, with their lone “win” coming in a four-point loss (as 4.5-point underdogs) against Utah.
? Visual Recap: Utah 73, Minnesota 69#GoUtes?? pic.twitter.com/iifnDAm2SI
— Utah Basketball? (@UtahMBB) November 16, 2019
Ohio State has Been a Homebody
Sunday’s game will be only the second road game for Ohio State this season, so there might be cause for concern about how the Buckeyes will fare away from their home crowd.
In a one-game road sample size, however, they’ve held up just fine. The Buckeyes went to Chapel Hill a week and a half ago to face then-No. 7 North Carolina. The Tar Heels entered the game as 3-point favorites, but Ohio State won the game handily, 74-49.
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Our journey continues Saturday at The Schott #Team121 pic.twitter.com/k1P8tXpOvv
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 6, 2019
Minnesota is Seeking a Bounce Back
The Golden Gophers’ record might be a touch deceiving, considering some of the close calls they’ve had. They lost by four to Utah, by five to DePaul, and also by single-digit margins against KenPom top-50 teams Butler and Oklahoma.
But Minnesota’s latest loss, a 72-52 defeat to Iowa, was different. Minnesota committed 15 turnovers and shot 6-of-25 from three-point range in a game they trailed from the second minute onward.
Hawks Down Gophers 72 to 52 pic.twitter.com/QrCyIyWxkA
— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 10, 2019
Simply put, a much better effort will be required if Minnesota intends to keep it close with Ohio State, let alone win.
Decision Time
The only hole worth poking in the Buckeyes is the suggestion that they aren’t battle tested on the road. But Ohio State is a freight train right now, having won eight in a row by at least 15 points. Don’t bet against a team like that.
Pick: Ohio State -8.5 (-110)
Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.
