The Wisconsin Badgers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Ohio State is favored by 1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -118. The total is set at 158.5 points.
Here’s my Wisconsin vs. Ohio State prediction and college basketball picks for Tuesday, February 17.
Wisconsin vs Ohio State Prediction
My Pick: Over 158.5 (Play to 161.5)
My Wisconsin vs Ohio State best bet is on both teams to go over the total. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Wisconsin vs Ohio State Odds
| Wisconsin Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -120 | 158.5 -115 / -105 | -102 |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -102 | 158.5 -115 / -105 | -118 |
- Wisconsin vs Ohio State Spread: Ohio State -1.5
- Wisconsin vs Ohio State Over/Under: 158.5 points
- Wisconsin vs Ohio State Moneyline: Wisconsin -102, Ohio State -118
Wisconsin vs Ohio State College Basketball Betting Preview
Wisconsin Basketball
Wisconsin rolls into Columbus after making headlines in back-to-back games last week. No one in the country had a more impressive week than the Badgers, who beat Illinois on the road in overtime and Michigan State by 21 points at home.
The most impressive part of Wisconsin's week was the 3-point shooting. The Badgers made at least 15 triples in each game last week, shooting 16-for-36 from deep against Illinois and 15-for-35 against Michigan State.
If Wisconsin continues to shoot like this, it's going to be hard to beat the Badgers, considering they have the eighth-lowest turnover rate (13.1%) in the country.
The one weakness this team has is its defense, as Wisconsin ranks outside the top 50 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Even though the Badgers beat Ohio State in their first matchup this season, that weakness still showed up.
Ohio State turned the ball over on only seven possessions (10% of the total possession count) and shot 34.5% from the 3-point line, as well as going 16-for-18 from the free-throw line with an 82-point scoring output.
In that game, Wisconsin's electric backcourt duo of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd had 22 points and 21 points, respectively, to lead the Badgers to a 92-82 victory.
If Wisconsin can clean up its defense while mirroring that offensive performance from the first game, the Badgers can pick up another high-quality win on the road.
Ohio State Basketball
Ohio State sits right on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and the reason why is an overall lack of quality wins on its resume.
The Buckeyes have no Quad 1 wins this season, and while they've done a good job of holding serve with home wins over other bubble teams like UCLA and USC, that's not good enough to be a tournament team.
Tuesday presents a big opportunity for Ohio State. While Wisconsin isn't in Quad 1 as of this game, it wouldn't be shocking to see it move up a few spots in the NET, making this a Quad 1 game.
From a matchup perspective, the Buckeyes aren't going to shoot as many 3s as the Badgers, but they're almost as efficient offensively. Ohio State scored 82 points on the road in the first game of the season between these teams, while struggling on the defensive end (as usual).
In the first matchup between these two teams, four Buckeyes scored 14-plus points, but Wisconsin held Christoph Tilly (0 points on 0-for-8 shooting) and John Mobley Jr. (nine points on 4-for-12 shooting) in check.
For Ohio State to win on Tuesday, Tilly is going to need to be a solid contributor offensively. Mobley is unlikely to play due to a hand injury.
The Buckeyes have been alternating wins and losses for three weeks after beating UCLA and Minnesota back in mid-January to claim a two-game winning streak.
If that pattern holds, Ohio State is in line for a win tonight after a narrow loss to Virginia over the weekend.
Wisconsin vs Ohio State Pick, Betting Analysis
This matchup is incredibly tight. The Badgers won at home when these two played earlier in the year, but home-court advantage can make a huge difference.
The one certainty in this game is that both sides are offense-oriented teams.
Wisconsin resides in the top 20 in offensive efficiency but outside of the top 50 defensively. Ohio State, meanwhile, sits in the top 30 offensively and outside of the top 70 defensively.
The Badgers have been hot recently, scoring exactly 92 points in three of their last four games, while Ohio State has scored 80-plus in five of its seven conference home games this season.
Finally, our Action PRO projections have this line at 162.5, compared to the 158.5 number that's currently on the board at the time of writing. That's a solid B grade, creating nice value on this over selection.
With the chance for this game to go either way, I think the best play here is to count on another high-scoring game between two great offenses.
My Pick: Over 158.5 (Play to 161.5)
