Rutgers vs Ohio State Predictions & Odds (Dec. 8)

• No. 25 Ohio State is a six-point favorite over Rutgers on Thursday night in the Big Ten
• Rutgers is fifth in the nation in scoring defense
• A look at Rutgers vs Ohio State odds and matchup can be found below with a prediction

No. 25 Ohio State plays its Big Ten opener when it hosts Rutgers at 7:00 p.m. ET Thursday at Value City Arena in Columbus.

Ohio State (6-2, 4-0 home) has won three of its last four games, including beating St. Francis (Pa.) 96-59 last Saturday. Rutgers (6-2, 0-1 road) has also three of four and knocked off Indiana 63-48 last Saturday.

The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Rutgers vs Ohio State Odds

Odds as of December 7th at Caesars Sportsbook.

Ohio State is a six-point favorite and a -260 pick on the moneyline in the college basketball odds, giving it an implied win probability of 72.22%. The Buckeyes’ NCAA Tournament championship odds are +5000.

CAESARS SPORTSBOOK

Get Your First Bet Back - Up To $1,000 On Caesars!

LOCK IN PROMO

CODE: SBD1000

CODE: SBD1000

SIGNUP PROMO

GET UP TO
$1,000 BACK

CLAIM OFFER

Rutgers Betting Trends

Rutgers has one of the top defenses in the country, including ranking first in three-point percentage allowed at 20.5. The Scarlet Knights are fifth (54.1) in scoring defense and seventh in field goal defense (35.4%).

On Saturday, Rutgers allowed Indiana to shoot just 30.4% (17 of 56) overall and 24.0% (6 of 25) on three-point attempts. The Hoosiers entered the game averaging 87.1 points a game.

Senior guard Caleb McConnell led Rutgers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. It marked his first double-double of the season and he helped the Scarlet Knights to a 47-33 rebounding advantage.

1️⃣7️⃣-0️⃣ run 🤯

Watch the play reigning B1G DPOY Caleb McConnell makes here. ⤵️@caleb_mcco x @RutgersMBB pic.twitter.com/U8YzVlz4Pj

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 3, 2022

Freshman guard Derek Simpson scored all 14 of his points in the second half. Junior forward Aundre Hyatt added 11 points.

Junior center Clifford Omoruyi leads Rutgers with averages of 15.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots a game. He is third in the Big Ten in rebounding.

Senior guard Cam Spencer leads the conference and is fourth in the nation with 3.0 steals a game. The Loyola (Md.) transfer is also averaging 13.8 points and 3.6 assists.

McConnell is averaging 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds. Hyatt is scoring 11.3 points and pulling down 5.0 rebounds a game.

Senior guard Paul Mulcahy returned to action Saturday after missing four games because of a shoulder injury. He had six points and four assists in 24 minutes.

Ohio State Betting Trends

Six different players scored in double figures in Ohio State’s rout of St. Francis.

Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh led the way with 15 points. He is averaging a team-high 14.3 points a game after being Mr. Basketball in Florida last season.

Sensabaugh is one of four Buckeyes scoring in double figures with junior forward Zed Key (13.4), senior forward Justice Sueing (13.1), and senior forward Sean McNeil (10.4), a transfer from West Virginia.

Key is also averaging 8.0 rebounds and his 69.5 field percentage is tops in the Big Ten. Sueing is pulling down 4.9 boards a game.

Zed Key hits seven 3-pointers in a row during warmups. pic.twitter.com/651hhF9CI6

— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) December 3, 2022

Against St. Francis, freshman guard Bruce Thornton (13), freshman guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (12), Key (11), McNeil (10), and freshman center Felix Okpara (10) all reached double digits. Okpara also had 12 rebounds in just 16 minutes for his first collegiate double-double.

Ohio State shot 50.7% (35 of 69) overall and 56.5% (13 of 23) from distance. The Buckeyes also outrebounded the Red Flash 47-25 while committing just seven turnovers.

Ohio State’s offense should provide a challenge to Rutgers’ defense as its 80.5 scoring average is 45^th in the county. The Buckeyes are also the 11^th-best free-throw shooting team at 79.1%

Rutgers vs Ohio State Prediction

Rutgers ended Ohio State’s four-game winning streak in the series with a 66-64 victory last season on the road as Key had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Look for the Scarlet Knights’ defense to at least keep it close in this matchup, too.

Pick: Rutgers +6 (-110)

Season record: 12-7 (+4.3 units) ATS, 0-2 (-2.1 units) ML