The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are on quite a dominant streak to start the season. The team is holding opponents to an average of 54.5 points per game, with eight double-digit wins and two 30-point plus victories under its belt. The only reason the Buckeyes are not ranked higher is because of their relatively easy schedule. Outside of a 17-point victory over the then-No. 17 Marquette Gold Eagles, the team does not own a high-profile win. However, that may change drastically over the next month of the season as Ohio State plays Notre Dame, Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan State all within and 18-day span.

The Bryant University Bulldogs started out the season with a 6-4 record through their first 10 games and will play the biggest game of the season on Wednesday night against the Buckeyes. Bryant University is not expected to play another Top-25 team this year, and its only other semi high-profile game will be an ESPN-televised matchup against the Robert Morris Colonials in late January. Let’s take a closer look at the Bryant University versus Ohio State matchup and figure out which side of the spread has the most value.

Bryant at Ohio State Betting Story Lines

Ohio State earned another double-digit victory during its last outing against Central Connecticut State on Saturday, even though the team didn’t play its best basketball. Forward LaQuinton Ross led the team with a career-high 23 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal performance, which helped the team produce another comfortable win and stay undefeated on the season.

The Buckeyes have four players averaging double-digit points—Lenzelle Smith Jr, LaQuinton Ross, Aaron Craft, and Amir Williams—but are averaging only 75 points and 36 rebounds per game, which is on the lower end of the scale for a ranked team. Ohio States’ excellent defense has been the main cause behind the team’s early success to the year.
 
Bryant University’s last game was an 11-point loss against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night during the second round of the Gotham Classic at Purcell Pavilion, in South Bend, Ind. The team stayed competitive in the second half by outscoring the Fighting Irish by one-point but was unable to overcome a 12-point first-half deficit.

The Bulldogs only shot 37 percent from the field, but they were able to make nearly 40 percent of their three-point attempts against Notre Dame. Bryant University has only two double-digit scorers, but junior guard Dyami Starks does produce 22 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per night to go along with the 16 points and six rebounds that forward Alex Francis averages per game.
 
Bryant at Ohio State NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Ohio State opened as an 18.5–point favorite over the underdog Bulldogs, according to BetOnline. The Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS over their last six Wednesday games and 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games following a SU win. They have struggled to cover spreads during the last nine home games and are 2-7 ATS during that span. The Buckeyes are also just 3-7 during their last 10 nonconference games.

Bryant University is 3-0-1 ATS during its last four games following a SU loss and 1-3-1 ATS over its last five overall matchups. The team has also gone “over” in six of its last eight nonconference matchups and is 1-0 ATS this season—most of the Bulldogs’ games were off the board.

Free College Basketball Picks: Bryant at Ohio State Predictions

Ohio State is a huge favorite heading into its matchup against Bryant University, and 18.5 points is a large spread to cover, even for the No. 3 team in the nation. Bur the Buckeyes’ defense is elite and should be able to keep the Bulldogs in the low-50 range, which means they would only need to score their normal 70-something points to cover. The spread is big, but Ohio State should be able to overwhelm its opponent—that is not great on offense to begin with—and win by a big number. Take the Buckeyes minus the points.

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Read more articles by George Monroy