Penn State vs Ohio State Odds and Picks (Jan. 16)
- Penn State (8-6, 3-3 Big Ten) takes on No. 16 Ohio State (10-4, 4-2 Big Ten) Sunday, January 16th, at 12:00 pm ET in Columbus
- The Nittany Lions are coming off a 66-49 home victory over Rutgers on Tuesday, while the Buckeyes lost to No. 13 Wisconsin 78-68 in Madison Thursday
- See the current moneyline, point spread, and game total, plus predictions
The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-6, 3-3 Big Ten) — who are coming off their biggest conference win since beating Minnesota 84-65 last March — seek to avenge a defeat earlier this season to the No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-4, 4-2 Big Ten) Sunday at Value City Arena. Tip off is at 12:00 pm ET on Big Ten Network.
Ohio State enters the contest as favorites according to oddsmakers and KenPom predicts the Bucks will win 73-64. Follow all the news for Ohio sports betting and get the best Ohio sports betting apps with legalization set to launch in 2023.
Penn State vs Ohio State Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | +290 | +9 (-115) | O 136.5 (-110) |
| Ohio State | -380 | -9 (-105) | U 136.5 (-110) |
Odds as of January 15th, 2022
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Micah Shrewberry’s team snapped the Scarlet Knights’ four-game win streak and held Rutgers to just 34% shooting from the field in a 17-point victory. Senior guard Sam Sessions led four players in double-digits with 17 points. Fellow seniors John Harrar had 16 and Jalen Pickett finished with 15 as the Nits won their third game out of four during a nine-game stretch following a 22-day layoff.
Meantime, Chris Holtmann’s club saw star EJ Liddell open the first half going 1-for-7 and get into foul trouble in the second that limited his minutes. He ultimately finished with 18 in the 10-point loss. Jared Wheeler added 11, but it wasn’t enough for OSU to avoid its second league defeat in three outings.
Defense Wins
Penn State is forcing opponents to be nearly perfect, and Shrewberry’s charges are getting impressive individual defensive efforts against their opponents’ top players. Forward Seth Lundy was charged with guarding Rutgers leading scorer Ron Harper Jr., who finished with only seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. Tuesday’s effort came after Lundy helped hold Purdue leading scorer Jaden Ivey to 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting last weekend.
Ohio State, though, presents a tough challenge. The Buckeyes offense ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten in scoring at 75.6 points per game, and they’re shooting at a 48.3% clip, which ranks second in the conference. Ohio State shot 50.9% against Penn State back on Dec. 5, when the Bucks beat the Nits 76-64 in the conference opener.
How the 6-foot-6 Lundy handles 6-foot-7 Liddell will be the key to the game. The Ohio State star was held to just 14 points (on 4-of-9 shooting) in that victory last month. Take away his 34-point explosion against Northwestern last Sunday and Liddell been held relatively held in check by opponents in conference play, averaging 16.2 points a contest (nearly four below his season average).
Penn State’s senior-laden roster certainly has the ability to keep this one close.
Brutus is Bullish
A big key in Thursday’s loss to the Badgers was Ohio State’s lack of production beyond the arc (the Buckeyes shot just 15.8% on 3-of-19 from distance) and its inability to defend the perimeter (Wisconsin went 43.5% on 10-of-23 shooting 3s). Thankfully, Penn State is rated 122nd in offensive 3-point field goal percentage — so those downtown stats should be improved Sunday.
Meantime, Ohio State got a balanced attack the last time this team faced Penn State. Kyle Young had 16 points, Liddell had 14 points and freshman guard Malaki Branham added 11 for OSU.
Point guard Jamari Wheeler was great in his first game against his former team with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals in his return after playing the last four years at Penn State.
Penn State hit just 29% on 3s(5-of-17) and committed 15 turnovers in that loss that saw guard Jalen Pickett put up 23 points.
Ohio State is one of the better balanced teams in the country, but is especially elite on the offensive side, rating in the top-25 in four offensive categories (adjusted efficiency, effective field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and 2-point field goal percentage)
The Pick
Penn State has been hot, but can the Nittany Lions knock off an Ohio State team coming off a loss on the road? Unlikely.
Yes, it’s a revenge game for Shrewberry’s group. But I think they lose in this spot — but keep it close.
Pick: Ohio State +9 (-115)
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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.
