The Purdue Boilermakers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday, March 1. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Purdue is favored by 6 points on the spread with a moneyline of -250. Ohio State, meanwhile, enters as a +6 underdog and is +205 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 150.5 total points.
Here are my Purdue vs. Ohio State prediction and college basketball picks for Sunday, March 1.
Purdue vs Ohio State Prediction
My Pick: Ohio State +5.5 (Play to +4.5)
My Purdue vs Ohio State best bet is on the Buckeyes to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Purdue vs Ohio State Odds
| Purdue Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | -250 |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | +205 |
- Purdue vs Ohio State Spread: Purdue -6, Ohio State +6
- Purdue vs Ohio State Over/Under: 150.5 Points
- Purdue vs Ohio State Moneyline: Purdue -250, Ohio State +205
Purdue vs Ohio State College Basketball Betting Preview
Purdue Basketball
Purdue is a very tough team to figure out.
On one hand, the Boilermakers seem to decimate the middle-tier Big Ten teams. On the other hand, they lost at home to the three best teams in the league, so it'll be interesting to see their response to such a difficult loss to MSU.
The Boilermakers' offense is elite, ranking second in offensive efficiency, per KenPom. They take good shots and make them, leading to a 57% effective field-goal percentage.
On top of that, the stability of point guard Braden Smith helps them turn the ball over only 13% of the time.
In this one, I expect the Purdue bigs to dominate.
Trey Kaufman-Renn is having a down year compared to a season ago — down from 20 points per game to 13. He's still a real post threat, but he needs to be more aggressive.
His frontcourt partner, Oscar Cluff, needs to come up big. The 6-foot-11, 255-pounder has played poorly of late, but luckily, the Boilers didn't need him to score big. They do, however, need him to grab 10-plus rebounds consistently, though.
Teams with shooting bigs can play Cluff off the floor. Ohio State isn't one of them, though.
On the defensive end, the Boilermakers rank 27th in efficiency, per KenPom. They struggle defending from 2-point range, as teams shoot 52% on 2s.
That could mean a few things. One could say the bigs can't defend, which I don't think is true, at least at the rim. The other is that the guards can't defend, which seems more likely. Purdue isn't a very tough team and allows opponents to get too comfortable in the lane.
Still, due to the Boilermakers' rebounding, they remain a solid defensive unit. The guards can be better, but it's a solid group all in all.
Ohio State Basketball
Ohio State is in desperation mode.
The Buckeyes, who are 17-11 and 9-8 in conference play, are staring down another year with no NCAA Tournament. However, a win over Purdue would be a nice boost to its chances of dancing.
Jake Diebler's team got a nice shot in the arm in their last game with sharpshooter John Mobley returning. He averages 15 PPG and shoots 40% from deep, and the offense looked a bit out of sorts without him.
Mobley isn't just a terrific scorer; he helps ease the pressure on Bruce Thornton — one of the top guards in the sport.
Thornton, who leads the Buckeyes with 20 PPG on 54% shooting, will look to attack this Purdue defense with his ability to get into the lane.
Ohio State thrives at scoring inside, shooting 57% from inside the arc. The offense can struggle at times, though, usually late in games, and it can be tough with just two true shooters.
Devin Royal and Amare Bynum start at the three and four, and while both are super physical, neither shoots 3s well.
The key will be at center. Christoph Tilly missed the Iowa game, and 7-foot-2 big man Ivan Njegovan stepped in. Tilly is more of an offensive weapon and can operate on the perimeter, so his versatility would help against the slower Cluff.
Defensively, the Buckeyes tend to struggle, ranking 60th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The issue is defending the rim, as teams shoot 54% on 2s, and protecting the glass, as teams grab 31% of their misses.
Neither is ideal against this Purdue team, but the physical plays of the Buckeyes' forwards could help solve the concerns a bit.
Purdue vs. Ohio State Betting Analysis
I'll take the 5.5 with Ohio State. If it were Purdue -3.5, I'd have taken the Boilers. But two whole possessions are too many for a Boilermaker team with some pretty clear warts.
While OSU is far from flawless, Thornton is the type of player who could take over and dominate, while leading the Buckeyes to a cover.
My Pick: Ohio State +5.5 (Play to +4.5)
