Ohio Bobcats vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, 3/20/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Ohio Bobcats vs Virginia Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2021

Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN

TV: TRUTV

Odds/Point Spread: Ohio (+10.5)

The Ohio Bobcats (16-7) head to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday where they'll take on the Virginia Cavaliers (18-6) in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia opens this contest as 10.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 131.5.

Ohio comes into this game with a win-loss record of 16-7 for the season. They are averaging 80.9 points per game (17th in the nation) while shooting 48.9% from the field. The Bobcats are connecting on 36.1% on shots from downtown (195 of 540) and 70.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Ohio is pulling down 34.8 boards per game and is sitting with 412 dimes this season, which ranks 27th in the country in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.0 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 16.0 fouls per contest. When they are on the defensive end, the Bobcats are forcing their opponents into 14.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.9 fouls. They relinquish 33.9% on shots from distance and they rank 259th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (73.3). The Bobcats defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 44.4% (598 of 1,348) and they relinquish 33.6 rebounds per contest as a team. They are ranked 207th in the country in giving up assists with 319 surrendered on the campaign.

The Ohio Bobcats faced the Buffalo Bulls and took home the win by a score of 84-69 in their last contest. Ohio walked away from the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (29 out of 58) and converted 8 out of their 15 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Bobcats converted 18 of 23 tries for a percentage of 78.3%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they collected 29 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 17 dimes for this contest while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When discussing the defense, Ohio let their opponent shoot 34.4% from the field on 22 out of 64 shooting. Buffalo doled out 7 assists and had 2 steals in this matchup. Additionally, Buffalo snagged 35 rebounds (14 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 5 blocked shots. Buffalo finished the contest at 74.1% from the charity stripe by making 20 of their 27 attempts. They also knocked down 5 of their 19 attempts from downtown.

Jason Preston is a player who played a role for this contest. He recorded 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He played for 38 minutes and totaled 6 boards. Preston ended up going 56.3% from the floor and also dished out 7 assists. An additional guy that was a determining factor in this matchup for the Bobcats was Ben Roderick. He collected 2 rebounds in his 27 min on the hardwood. He shot 66.7% from the field in the matchup by shooting 6-of-9 (20 points). Overall, Roderick finished the game without an assist.

Virginia has a win-loss mark of 18-6 on the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Cavaliers are connecting on 48.0% from the field, which is ranked 34th in college basketball. Virginia has scored 1,647 pts on the campaign (68.6 per contest) and they collect 31.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 14.0 times per game (119th in college hoops) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.4 times per game. The Cavaliers are committing 12.9 fouls per contest while shooting 81.7% from the free throw line. The Cavaliers on the defensive end are ranked 6th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 60.5. They relinquish 11.6 dimes and 29.2 total boards per game, which ranks them 85th and 6th in college basketball. The Virginia defense surrenders 34.0% on shots from beyond the arc (161 of 473) and their opponents are making 74.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing 9.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 41.6% from the floor (81st in D-1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Virginia Cavaliers got the victory with a final of 72-69 when they faced the Syracuse Orange. The Cavaliers corralled 21 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 31 for the game. They also gave up possession 10 times, while getting 5 steals for this contest. The Orange committed 12 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 12 tries. They were able to convert 11 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 91.7%. When discussing 3-point attempts, Virginia knocked down 11 of their 35 attempts (31.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Cavaliers went 25 out of 55 from the field which gave them a rate of 45.5%. The Cavaliers allowed the Orange to make 24 of their 57 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 42.1% for the matchup. They finished 36.4% from 3-point land by connecting on 8 of 22 and ended up shooting 13 out of 17 from the free throw line (76.5%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Virginia permitted Syracuse to collect 27 overall (10 offensive).

Sam Hauser was important for the Cavaliers for this game. He knocked down 8 of 15 for the contest for a rate of 53.3%, and earned 5 rebounds. Hauser totaled 21 points in his 36 minutes on the court and added 3 assists for the matchup. One more player who was a determining factor for Virginia was Trey Murphy. He came away with no assists in his 32 mins played, and he put in 4 out of 12 from the floor. Murphy walked away from this one going 33.3% from the field in addition to collecting 15 points and 2 total rebounds.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ohio (+10.5)

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