Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 1/3/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: BTN

Value City Arena is where the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) will attempt to defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-4) on Wednesday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced off with Stonehill and walked away with a win by a score of 59-58 in their last contest. Rutgers finished the game having earned a 25.8% FG percentage (16 of 62) and made 5 of their 28 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Scarlet Knights knocked down 22 of their 35 attempts for a rate of 62.9%. Regarding rebounding, they collected 40 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 12 dimes in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 9 steals. In regard to defense, Rutgers allowed the other team to shoot 31.7% from the field on 19 of 60 shooting. Stonehill earned 12 dimes and had 8 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Stonehill snagged 40 boards (10 offensive, 30 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Stonehill shot 85.7% at the free throw line by making 12 of 14 shots. They converted 8 of 29 attempts from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up finishing with 13 while Stonehill totaled 26 fouls.

Clifford Omoruyi is a guy who came through in the game. He notched 17 points on 3 out of 6 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 33 mins played and also collected 17 rebounds. He ended up shooting 50.0% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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Rutgers enters this matchup with a mark of 8-4 this season. They turn the ball over 10.8 times per contest and as a group they are committing 16.3 fouls per game. As a unit, Rutgers is grabbing 37.5 boards per contest and has racked up 151 assists on the year, which has them ranked 306th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Scarlet Knights are hitting 29.3% on three-point shots (72 of 246) and 64.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 67.5 pts per game (323rd in the nation) while going 39.7% from the floor.

On defense, the Scarlet Knights are forcing 15.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They are 23rd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 124 relinquished on the campaign. The Scarlet Knights defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 37.4% (260 of 695) and they relinquish 40.9 boards per contest as a team. They are conceding 29.4% on 3-pointers and they are 12th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (61.4).

For their last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes got the victory with a final of 78-75 when they played West Virginia. In regard to rebounding, Ohio State allowed West Virginia to get 44 in total (11 offensive). They shot 22.7% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 5 of 22 and finished the game at 12 of 16 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Buckeyes permitted West Virginia to knock down 29 out of 68 attempts from the floor which had them at 42.6% for the contest. When the game finished, the Buckeyes went 26 for 73 from the field which had them sitting at 35.6%. In the matter of 3-point shots, Ohio State converted 11 of 34 attempts (32.4%). They were able to convert 15 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 60.0%. West Virginia had 21 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Buckeyes to the charity stripe for a total of 25 tries. They turned it over 11 times, while getting 9 steals for the game. The Buckeyes snagged 27 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive boards totaling 41 for the contest.

Roddy Gayle pitched in for the Buckeyes in the game. He had 32 points in his 38 mins on the court and accumulated 6 assists for the matchup. He converted 11 out of 21 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 52.4%, and accounted for 7 rebounds.

Ohio State has a win-loss record of 11-2 for the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Buckeyes are shooting 45.7% from the field, which ranks 141st in the country. Ohio State has accounted for 1,031 pts for the year (79.3 per game) and they pull down 39.8 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.5 times per game (83rd in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.2 times per game. The Buckeyes commit 17.5 personal fouls per contest while shooting 74.9% from the free throw line.

The Ohio State defense allows 31.3% on shots from beyond the arc (82 of 262) and opponents are making 63.9% of their foul shots. They concede 9.5 assists and 32.9 boards every game, which is 13th and 92nd in those categories on the defensive end. The Buckeyes are ranked 51st in the country in PPG allowed with 64.9. They are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.0% from the floor (94th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ohio State

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