Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 12/23/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Rutgers (+1.5)

Value City Arena is the venue where and the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-0) on Wednesday. Ohio State opens this matchup as 1.5-point favorites. The over/under is set at 141.

Rutgers steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 6-0 on the campaign. The Scarlet Knights are connecting on 36.5% on three-point shots (38 of 104) and 60.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 82.7 points per game (51st in the nation) while going 51.1% from the field. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.2 times per contest and as a group are committing 15.7 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Rutgers is pulling down 42.0 boards per contest and has accumulated 107 dimes so far this year, which is 86th in the country in terms of passing the ball. On defense, the Scarlet Knights are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per game while drawing 19.0 fouls. They give up 31.9% on 3-point shots and they are 150th in D-1 in opponents points per game (68.5). The Scarlet Knights defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.0% (152 of 380) and they concede 33.5 boards per contest as a squad. They are ranked 190th in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 82 surrendered for the year.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights stepped onto the hardwood against the Illinois Fighting Illini and earned the victory with a final of 91-88 in their last game. Rutgers ended the contest having earned a 46.8% field goal percentage (29 out of 62) and made 8 of 20 3-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Scarlet Knights knocked down 25 of their 36 attempts for a percentage of 69.4%. When discussing grabbing boards, they earned a total of 33 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 dimes in this matchup while earning 8 steals and 8 blocks. In regard to defense, Rutgers allowed the other team to shoot 46.8% from the floor on 29 of 62. Illinois distributed 20 dimes and 4 steals in this game. Additionally, the Fighting Illini pulled down 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive) and added 8 blocks. Illinois finished the game at 73.3% from the charity stripe by converting 11 of their 15 tries. They buried 9 out of their 15 tries from distance.

Ron Harper is one player who was a major factor in this matchup. He had 28 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and pulled down 9 rebounds. Harper finished the game shooting 60.0% from the floor and also totaled 2 dimes. An additional guy that was a major contributor in this matchup for the Scarlet Knights was Jacob Young. He pulled down 2 boards and accumulated 4 assists. He finished the game at 53.3% from the floor in this game via 8-of-15 (24 points). Overall, Young played 35 minutes.

Ohio State has a win-loss record of 6-1 so far this season. Ohio State has earned 539 pts for the season (77.0 per game) and they snag 36.3 rebounds per game. The Buckeyes are committing 16.4 personal fouls every game and they hit 77.0% from the charity stripe. In terms of offensive execution, the Buckeyes are shooting 44.0% from the floor, which is 207th in the nation. They are dishing out assists 12.7 times per contest (224th in the country) and they turn it over 9.1 times per contest. The Buckeyes on the defensive end are ranked 98th in college basketball in PPG allowed with 65.4. They have forced 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 40.5% from the field (113th in D-1). The Ohio State defense allows 37.8% from downtown (54 of 143) and their opponents are knocking down 75.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 12.9 assists and 34.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks 176th and 138th in the country.

When they last stepped on the court, the Ohio State Buckeyes walked away with a victory by a final of 77-70 against the UCLA Bruins. The Buckeyes were able to snag 20 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 28 for the matchup. They also turned away 4 attempts while recording 2 steals in this game. The Bruins earned 18 fouls in this matchup which got the Buckeyes to the free throw line for a total of 26 tries. They were able to convert 19 of them for a rate of 73.1%. When discussing three-point shots, Ohio State buried 8 of their 22 attempts (36.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Buckeyes ended up shooting 25 out of 50 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Buckeyes allowed the Bruins to convert 24 of their 60 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 40.0% for the game. They finished 30.8% from behind the 3-point line by going 4 out of 13 and ended up shooting 18 out of 24 at the charity stripe (75.0%). In relation to how they rebounded, Ohio State allowed UCLA to pull down 31 in total (13 offensive).

CJ Walker saw the court a lot for the Buckeyes in this contest. He made 3 out of 6 for this game for a rate of 50.0%, which got him 10 points. Walker pulled down 2 boards in his 36 minutes and totaled 4 dimes for the game. An additional guy that ended being a contributor for Ohio State was Duane Washington. He accumulated 14 points in his 32 minutes on the court via 4 out of 12 shooting for the game. Washington wrapped this one up going 33.3% from the field while also contributing 3 assists and 5 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State (-1.5)

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