The Ohio Bobcats take on the Central Michigan Chippewas in Mount Pleasant, MI. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Ohio is favored by 6 points on the spread with a moneyline of -250. The total is set at 150 points.
Here’s my Ohio vs. Central Michigan predictions and college basketball picks for December 30, 2025.
Ohio vs Central Michigan Prediction
My Pick: Under 150 (Play to 148.5)
My Ohio vs Central Michigan best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Ohio vs. Central Michigan Odds
| Ohio Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6 -110 | 150 -110 / -110 | -250 |
| Central Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6 -110 | 150 -110 / -110 | +205 |
- Ohio vs Central Michigan spread: Ohio -6
- Ohio vs Central Michigan over/under: 150 points
- Ohio vs Central Michigan moneyline: Ohio -250, Central Michigan +205
Ohio vs Central Michigan College Basketball Betting Preview
Ohio Basketball
Ohio looks to continue its MAC dominance over Central Michigan on Tuesday, as it's won all 10 matchups against the Chips under head coach Jeff Boals.
Ohio is led by senior guard Jackson Paveletzke — who's averaging 16.8 points and four assists per game — while Aidan Hadaway and Javan Simmons are averaging double figures.
Ohio has really struggled shooting from deep this season, which has resulted in non-competitive losses against some of the stronger teams it's played. However, I would expect some positive regression against one of the worst defensive teams in the country in Central Michigan.
Defensively, Ohio has to work on corralling loose balls and keeping its opponents out off second-chance opportunities.
I would expect the Bobcats to dominate this battle against the Chips, who aren't a strong rebounding team.
Central Michigan Basketball
Central Michigan has really struggled in a season of transition for first-year head coach Andy Bronkema. We thought initially that the Chippewas were going to ramp up the tempo on offense, but we haven’t seen much of that outside of contests against non-Division I opponents.
Central Michigan isn't a strong shooting team and really struggles to create off the dribble. As a result, it's settled for bad, contested jumpers that don't go down.
Rodney Johnson Jr. is a talented player for Central, but he's missed four of the last five games, and it's uncertain if he'll play in this game.
Nathan Claerbaut has stepped up by scoring 12 or more points in each of his last three games, and Phat Phat Phat Brooks is also capable of scoring 20 on any given night, although he's been cold of late.
Defensively, Central Michigan has had problems defending much of anything of late, as the Chips were shredded by Wisconsin, Stony Brook and Saint Louis in prior games this month.
Central Michigan doesn’t defend well without fouling and its poor rotation defense allows for open shooters in the corner.
I don't know if its safe to assume the issues were corrected over Christmas break, so this could be a struggle for Central Michigan.
Ohio vs. Central Michigan Betting Analysis
This line opened up Ohio -6 with a total set at 150.5, and I'm going to dive in on the under.
Central Michigan can't score the basketball, as the Chips have one of the worst offenses in the MAC. KenPom ranks this group 277th in adjusted offensive efficiency, a ranking primarily driven by poor shooting.
Ohio doesn’t have an elite defense, but the Bobcats did impress me in how they defended Bowling Green in their most recent MAC game. They held the Falcons to just 68 points on 22 made shots in a 10-point loss earlier in December.
Ohio really throttled down the tempo against Bowling Green and in its most recent game against non-Division I Miami Hamilton. Central Michigan's last five contests against Division I teams have ended with possession counts in the 60s.
I think this contest will be close throughout, but I don't expect the pace to be there to necessitate enough scoring to get this game over.
Both of these teams are bottom 300-level in 3-point shooting and neither one gets to the line enough to see a ton of scoring with the clock stopped.
I would guess the winning team here fails to eclipse 75 points.
My Pick: Under 150 (Play to 148)
