Ohio State Buckeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 1/27/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

The Northwestern Wildcats (14-5) will play the Ohio State Buckeyes (13-6) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes took the court against Nebraska and ended up losing by a score of 83-69 in their last game. Ohio State finished the game with a 48.2% FG percentage (27 of 56) and knocked down 8 out of their 23 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Buckeyes converted 7 of their 12 shots for a percentage of 58.3%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they collected 28 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 17 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and getting 2 steals. In terms of defending, Ohio State allowed the other team to shoot 49.2% from the field on 30 of 61 shooting. Nebraska recorded 19 assists and had 5 steals for the game. On top of that, Nebraska grabbed 33 rebounds (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Nebraska went 75.0% from the charity stripe by burying 9 of their 12 shots. They made 14 out of their 27 shots from 3-point land. In regard to fouls, the Buckeyes ended up finishing with 13 and Nebraska recorded 11 fouls.

Bruce Thornton is one player who was a contributor for the matchup. He finished shooting 55.6% from the floor and dished out 6 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins and also totaled 3 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 16 points on 5 out of 9 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Ohio State will enter this game with a record of 13-6 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 10.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.7 fouls per game. As a unit, Ohio State is snagging 39.1 boards per game and has accounted for 283 dimes this year, which has them ranked 106th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Buckeyes are connecting on 34.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (146 of 424) and 75.1% from the charity stripe. They average 76.1 points per outing (142nd in D-1) while shooting 44.8% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Buckeyes are able to force 10.8 turnovers per game and they draw 18.4 personal fouls. They are conceding 34.9% on shots from downtown while they are 80th in college basketball in points per game allowed (67.4). The Buckeyes defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 41.8% (475 of 1,136) and they relinquish 33.7 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 40th in college basketball in giving up assists with 205 relinquished on the campaign.

For their last game, the Northwestern Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 96-91 against Illinois. The Wildcats earned 25 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 31 for the matchup. They also coughed it up 5 times, while getting 6 steals in this contest. Illinois committed 15 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They were able to knock down 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 69.2%. Concerning 3-pointers, Northwestern made 11 out of 18 tries (61.1%). Overall, the Wildcats went 38 for 69 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 55.1%. The Wildcats allowed Illinois to convert 31 out of their 76 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.8% for the game. They finished 45.8% from distance by connecting on 11 out of 24 and ended up going 18 out of 24 from the free throw line (75.0%). Concerning cleaning the glass, Northwestern allowed Illinois to pull down 44 overall (20 on the offensive glass).

Boo Buie ended up having an impact for the Wildcats in the game. He totaled 29 points in his 42 mins of playing time and tallied 7 assists for this game. He converted 12 of 25 in this matchup giving him a rate of 48.0%, and had 3 rebounds.

Northwestern has a win-loss mark of 14-5 for the year. The Wildcats commit 17.4 fouls per game and they shoot 72.5% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 16.2 times per contest (41st in college basketball) and they turn it over 8.9 times per contest. Northwestern has totaled 1,405 points for the season (73.9 per contest) and they grab 30.3 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Wildcats are connecting on 46.9% from the field, which is 72nd in the nation.

The Northwestern defense gives up 36.4% on 3-point attempts (137 of 376) and their opponents are converting on 74.4% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 13.1 assists and 33.6 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 203rd and 110th in college hoops. The Wildcats defensively are ranked 107th in the nation in PPG given up with 68.7. They are able to force 13.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.7% from the floor (265th in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northwestern

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here