The Big Ten foes will square off when No. 16 Ohio State (12-4) and Minnesota (11-5) play Thursday night. On January 18, Ohio State defeated IUPUI 83-37 to win its second straight contest. The Golden Gophers snapped their four-game losing streak and won a 68-65 win over Rutgers on Jan. 22.
Tipoff is at 8 p.m. ET from Williams Arena. The Buckeyes are favored by 6.5 points in Caesars Sportsbook’s latest Ohio State vs. Minnesota odds, while the over-under is 134.5. Before making any Minnesota vs. Ohio State picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and SportsLine projection model betting tips.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 12 of the season with a 49-36 record on all college basketball top picks, grossing nearly $700 . Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive $2,800 profit for $100 players on its top college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed him has seen huge returns.
Now the model has set its sights on Ohio State vs Minnesota, and has just locked in its CBB picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model choices. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Minnesota vs. Ohio State:
- Ohio State vs. Minnesota spread: Ohio State -6.5
- Ohio State vs. Minnesota State over-under: 134.5 points
- Ohio State vs. Minnesota money line: Ohio State -330, Minnesota +260
- OSU: Over is 4-0 in the Buckeyes’ last four games as road favorites
- MINN: Golden Gophers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games on Thursday
Featured game | Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Why Ohio State Can Cover
The Buckeyes have been one of the Big Ten’s best shooting teams this season. Ohio State is second in the conference in field goal percentage (.483) and third in 3-point percentage (.380). There are five players on the team who are shooting at least 35% from downtown. Junior forward EJ Liddell records 19.4 points while shooting 40% from three.
Freshman guard Malaki Branham is second on the team with 10 points and is knocking down 38% of his 3-point attempts. He scored over 20 points in two different games and his best outing came in the Jan. 2 win over Nebraska when Branham was down 35 points with six rebounds. The Ohio native shot 13 for 19 from the field and 6 for 10 from three.
Why Minnesota Can Cover
The Golden Gophers were shorthanded in their 68-65 win over Rutgers. Minnesota was without sophomore forward Jamison Battle and senior guard EJ Stephens. Either way, they finished the game shooting 54% from the field and 3-point range. They were led by senior guard Payton Willis. He dropped a season-high 32 points with three rebounds and seven assists.
Willis was on fire from downtown, shooting 8 for 13 from three. Leading guard Luke Loewe signed for Minnesota and finished with a season-best 19 points, two rebounds and three assists. Freshman center Treyton Thompson added 10 points and six rebounds in the victory.
How to Make Choices Between Minnesota and Ohio State
SportsLine’s model leans into the total, projecting a combined 143 points. It also generated a pick against the spread which cashes in over 60% of the simulations. You can only get model choices on SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio State against Minnesota? And which side of the gap hits in more than 60% of the simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the gap to jump to, all from the forward model that’s risen $2,800 on its top college basketball picks over the past five years, and find out.
