NIT Odds, Pick & Prediction for Georgia vs Ohio State

Ohio State took a scare from a scary Cornell squad in the first round of the NIT before taking care of business against Virginia Tech.

The Buckeyes will host Georgia — which stunned Wake Forest as 7.5-point underdog — in this NIT quarterfinal matchup.

Georgia lost 10 of its final 12 regular season games, but the tide shifted rapidly in the NIT.

The Bulldogs nearly blew a huge lead in the first game against Xavier and the same thing happened against Wake Forest. Alas, Georgia didn't fully crater and won two huge postseason games for the first time in Mike White's time in Athens.

As most of White's teams are, Georgia is a defensive-oriented unit. The Bulldogs rank 55th in Defensive Efficiency, which is pretty strong for a team starting three freshmen.

The defense shined in different ways during the two NIT wins, holding Wake Forest's typical strong shooting attack to 3-of-23 from 3 and forcing 15 turnovers against Xavier.

Meanwhile, the younger stars — Silas Demary Jr., Blue Cain and Dylan James — hope to build momentum for next season.

Also, two seniors — Noah Thomasson and Justin Hill — are looking to finish their careers with a championship. They could decide whether the Bulldogs pull out the victory or get sent packing.

Thomasson leads the team with 12.9 points per game. He headlined Georgia's offense with 19 points against Wake.

Hill scored 21 points off the bench in the win over Xavier, so if both get hot together, it could lead to a highly competitive game.

Ohio State almost unquestionably has the most to gain from the NIT. The Buckeyes promoted Jake Diebler following a strong finish to the regular season, and winning a postseason title would help bring energy to Columbus.

Since Diebler took the job, Ohio State has been shooting the ball better from 3 and defending at a higher level. It was never a talent issue for Ohio State; it was an execution issue that's since improved.

Jamison Battle is capping off his college career, and he's scored 17+ points in four straight games and 23+ in three of the four. The veteran lefty averages 15.1 points on efficient shooting splits of 46% overall, 43% from 3 and 92% from the foul line.

Additionally, scoring from Roddy Gayle Jr. and Bruce Thornton is key.

The Buckeyes' offense looks explosive when all three of their top options stand out.

The Buckeyes have plenty of length, aiding the team's strong 2-point field goal defense. Opponents shoot only 46.8% from inside the arc (30th nationally), which should force Georgia into taking perimeter jumpers.

Gayle and Evan Mahaffey will force the Georgia guards to shoot jumpers rather than attack downhill, which favors OSU.

Ohio State won't push the pace like Georgia, but its efficient offense makes up for the slower tempo.

The Buckeyes scored 83 points and 88 points in the two previous games, while Georgia hit over 70 in each of its games.

If that happens again, the over will hit, but that's not a regular for either team.

Georgia wants to keep the game in the high 60s-low 70s range, while Ohio State is facing a better defense than its faced throughout the NIT.

If Georgia struggles shooting from 3, Ohio State will slow the game down and the scoring will fall under the total.

Pick: Under 150.5