Ohio State vs Nebraska Prediction, Odds & Props (Jan. 23)

• Nebraska looks to improve on a 12-1 home record when it hosts Ohio State on Tuesday
• The Buckeyes haven’t won a true road game yet this season
• See the Ohio State vs Nebraska odds, predictions, and player props for Jan. 23

Long an afterthought in Big Ten basketball, Fred Hoiberg’s Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-5, 12-1 home, 11-8 ATS) are forcing the conference to take notice this season. On Tuesday night, they have another chance to build on a sparkling 12-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena when they host the Ohio State Buckeyes (13-5, 0-3 away, ATS).

Oddsmakers list the Huskers are 3.5-point home favorites in Tuesday’s college basketball odds.

Ohio State vs Nebraska Odds

On the moneyline, Nebraska is a -165 favorite with Ohio State coming back at +140 to win its first true road game of the season. With two top-40 offenses squaring off, the game total is at a relatively high 149, even though neither team plays at a terribly fast tempo.

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Odds as of Jan. 23 on the Caesars Sportsbook app. Claim a Caesars Sportsbook promo to wager on Ohio State vs Nebraska on Jan. 23. 

Nebraska Dominant at Home This Season

Just over halfway through the season, the Huskers have compiled a Tournament-worthy resume which includes wins over then-#1 Purdue (88-72) and Michigan State (77-70), along with a true-road victory over Kansas State as 4.5-point underdogs.

Nebraska’s only home loss this season came against bitter in-state rival Creighton in a rout (89-60) when they shot a frigid 2-of-22 from three (9.1%).

Hoiberg’s two prized offseason transfer acquisitions – guard Brice Williams (Charlotte) and forward Rienk Mast (Bradley) – have given the team a boost at both ends of the court.  Williams is second on the team in scoring (13.3 PPG) and assists (2.7 APG), while Mast is third in scoring (12.5 PPG), first in rebounding (8.4 RPG) and first in assists (3.0 APG).

Ohio State Struggling Outside of Columbus

The Buckeyes have a solid 13-5 record which includes a neutral-court win over Alabama (92-81) and they actually rate higher than Nebraska at both KenPom (44th vs 49th) and Torvik (32nd vs 47th), but they are 0-for-3 in true road games this season, losing at Penn State (83-80), Indiana (71-65), and Michigan (73-65).

Ohio State had lost three straight – including a 71-60 home loss to Wisconsin – heading into Saturday’s rematch with Penn State in Columbus. The Buckeyes cruised to a 79-67 win propelled by a 16-0 run to start the game.

The win over the Nittanies came in spite of a brutal night from leading scorer Bruce Thornton (16.0 PPG), who was just 1-of-9 from the field for three points. Sophomore guard Evan Mahaffey picked up the slack, scoring a career-high 16 on 6-of-9 shooting.

Ohio State’s strength is on the glass. The team ranks 29th out of all 362 DI teams in offensive rebound percentage. But they don’t make the most of their second chances, shooting just 34.4% from three (140th) and 50.6% from two (163rd).

OSU vs NEB Player Props

Player props from the DraftKings Sportsbook app. 

The over/under point totals are all clustered in the 12.5 to 15.5 range, which is to be expected based on the statistics. No one on either team averages more than 16.0 PPG, while both teams have three players averaging at least 12.5 PPG. Nebraska’s Rienk Mast has the highest rebound total in the college basketball player props at 7.5

Ohio State vs Nebraska Prediction

Nebraska’s 12-1 home record cannot and should not be ignored, especially in light of the fact that its only home loss was to its in-state neighbor (i.e. the least homey home game they’ll place all season).

When you add in the fact that Ohio State is 0-3 in true road games (against three teams that sit outside KenPom’s top 75: Penn State, Indiana, Michigan), a play on the Huskers’ moneyline at -165 stands out as a solid bet.

Ohio State vs Nebraska picks:

• Nebraska moneyline (-165) – two units
• Rienk Mast over 7.5 rebounds (-110)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NCAAM betting record:

• ATS: 13-12 (-0.21 units)
• Moneyline: 0-2 (-2.00 units)
• Player props: 1-2 (-1.13 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.