Michigan State Spartans vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 1/31/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Sunday, January 31, 2021

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Michigan State (+7.5)

The Ohio State Buckeyes (13-4) play the Michigan State Spartans (8-5) at Value City Arena on Sunday. Ohio State opens this contest as 7.5-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 145.5.

Michigan State comes into this game with a record of 8-5 so far this season. They average 73.0 pts per game (154th in Division 1) while connecting on 43.7% from the field. The Spartans are hitting 33.7% from downtown (97 of 288) and 75.3% from the free throw line. As a team, Michigan State is grabbing 38.2 rebounds per contest and has earned 238 assists this year, which is 49th in college basketball in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.2 times per game and as a group are committing 18.3 fouls on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Spartans are forcing 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 17.2 personal fouls. They are 182nd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 175 relinquished this season. The Spartans are giving up a FG percentage of 41.9% (325 of 775) and they surrender 33.8 boards per contest as a basketball team. They give up 32.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 203rd in D-1 in opponents PPG (71.0).

The Michigan State Spartans faced the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and took a loss by a score of 67-37 in their last contest. Michigan State ended the contest having earned a 28.6% field goal percentage (16 of 56) and made 4 out of their 20 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Spartans made 1 of their 5 shots for a percentage of 20.0%. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 29 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 8 dimes for the matchup in addition to getting 4 steals and 4 rejections. In relation to the defense, Michigan State allowed the other team to go 28.6% from the field on 16 out of 56 shooting. Rutgers earned 12 dimes and had 14 steals in this game. Moreover, the Scarlet Knights collected 40 rebounds (13 offensive, 27 defensive) and had 4 blocks. Rutgers finished 83.3% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of 12 tries. They buried 5 out of their 19 tries from beyond the arc.

Aaron Henry is a guy who was a major factor for the game. He ended up finishing with 7 points on 3 of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins and also grabbed 3 rebounds. Henry finished the contest at 30.0% from the floor and also dished out 2 dimes. An additional guy that was a determining factor in this game for the Spartans was Joey Hauser. He collected 2 boards and also accumulated 2 assists. He finished the game shooting 60.0% from the field in this game by going 3-of-5 (6 points). Overall, Hauser was on the hardwood for 18 minutes.

Ohio State has a record of 13-4 on the year. The Buckeyes are committing 17.2 personal fouls per game and they hit 76.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 12.6 times per contest (227th in Division 1) and they lose possession via turnover 10.6 times per game. Ohio State has accounted for 1,308 points on the campaign (76.9 per contest) and they collect 37.3 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Buckeyes are shooting 45.4% from the floor, which is 122nd in D-1. The Buckeyes on defense are ranked 122nd in the country in PPG given up with 68.0. They have surrendered 12.2 assists and 32.6 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 131st and 76th in those defensive categories. The Ohio State defense gives up 33.3% on shots from distance (125 of 375) and their opponents are converting on 69.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are able to force 10.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 41.7% from the floor (106th in the country).

In their last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes got the win with a final of 83-79 when they faced the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Buckeyes were able to pull down 24 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 33 in this game. They also turned away 4 shots while getting 6 steals for this game. The Nittany Lions earned 19 fouls in the game which got the Buckeyes to the charity stripe for a total of 21 shots. They were able to bury 20 of those for a percentage of 95.2%. In terms of shooting from downtown, Ohio State converted 7 out of their 22 tries (31.8%). When the game finished, the Buckeyes walked away from this one shooting 28 for 54 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.9%. The Buckeyes permitted the Nittany Lions to bury 26 of their 59 attempts from the field which had them shooting 44.1% for this game. They finished 47.4% from three-point range by shooting 9 of 19 and finished the contest at 18 of 24 at the free throw line (75.0%). With respect to cleaning the glass, Ohio State allowed Penn State to collect 24 in total (9 offensive).

E.J. Liddell ended up being a factor for the Buckeyes for the contest. He knocked down 6 of 9 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, which earned him 22 points. Liddell had 7 boards in his 29 mins played and had 2 dimes in this game. An additional guy that played a role for Ohio State was Justice Sueing. He racked up 13 points in 31 minutes on the hardwood via 5 of 7 from the floor for this contest. Sueing ended the game having shot 71.4% from the floor while also collecting 2 assists and 10 total rebounds.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State (-7.5)

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