Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 12/8/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: ESPN2

Value City Arena is where the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2) will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-2) on Thursday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Indiana and notched a win by a score of 63-48 in their last game. Rutgers finished with a 36.7% FG percentage (22 out of 60) and buried 6 of their 21 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Scarlet Knights knocked down 13 of 19 attempts for a percentage of 68.4%. In the matter of hauling in boards, they compiled a total of 42 with 12 of them being offensive. They also doled out 11 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 7 steals. When talking about defense, Rutgers allowed the other team to shoot 30.4% from the field on 17 out of 56 shooting. Indiana totaled 9 assists and had 5 steals in the game. On top of that, Indiana collected 32 boards (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Indiana finished the game shooting 57.1% from the free throw line by converting 8 of their 14 shots. They also made 6 out of their 25 shots from downtown. When discussing fouls, the Scarlet Knights left the arena with 18 and Indiana had 20 fouls.

Caleb McConnell is one guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He notched 16 points on 4 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes and pulled down 10 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 33.3% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime.

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Rutgers enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 6-2 for the campaign. They are averaging 73.1 points per game (169th in the country) while shooting 42.2% from the field. The Scarlet Knights are shooting 31.3% on shots from 3-point land (45 of 144) and 70.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Rutgers is pulling in 41.5 boards per game and is sitting with 115 assists on the year, which has them ranked 182nd in the country in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.4 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 15.8 fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Scarlet Knights are forcing 18.0 turnovers per game and they draw 18.6 personal fouls. They are giving up 20.6% on shots from distance and they rank 7th in D-1 in points per game allowed (54.1). The Scarlet Knights defense is allowing a FG percentage of 35.4% (158 of 446) and they surrender 35.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 44th in D-1 in giving up assists with 80 surrendered on the campaign.

For their last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes went home victorious with a score of 96-59 against Saint Francis. The Buckeyes recorded 29 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 in the game. They also coughed it up 7 times, while getting 3 steals for the game. Saint Francis had 17 fouls in this matchup which got the Buckeyes to the free throw line for 18 tries. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a rate of 72.2%. With regard to 3-point attempts, Ohio State knocked down 13 of their 23 tries (56.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Buckeyes finished 35 for 69 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.7%. The Buckeyes permitted Saint Francis to convert 24 of 59 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.7% in this contest. They finished 31.6% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 of 19 and finished the game at 5 out of 7 from the free throw line (71.4%). When talking about attacking the glass, Ohio State allowed Saint Francis to snag 24 in all (5 on the offensive glass).

Felix Okpara ended up having an impact for the Buckeyes in the matchup. He converted 3 out of 7 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and tallied 12 rebounds. He recorded 10 points in his 16 minutes of playing time and tallied 1 assist in the game.

Ohio State has a record of 6-2 for the season. The Buckeyes are responsible for committing 15.1 fouls every game and they connect on 79.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.5 times per contest (244th in the country) and they are turning it over 11.5 times per game. Ohio State has accounted for 644 points on the year (80.5 per contest) and they pull down 40.9 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Buckeyes are connecting on 48.3% from the field, which has them ranked 50th in the nation.

The Buckeyes on defense are ranked 65th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 63.3. They are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 39.2% from the field (54th in the nation). The Ohio State defense gives up 27.7% from downtown (43 of 155) and their opposition knocks down 71.7% of their foul shots. They relinquish 10.0 dimes and 30.3 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 42nd and 23rd in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State

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