Michigan State Spartans vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 1/3/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Friday, January 3, 2025

Location: Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH

TV: FOX

Schottenstein Center is the site where the Ohio State Buckeyes (9-4) will try to defeat the Michigan State Spartans (10-2) on Friday.

The Michigan State Spartans faced off with Florida Atlantic and took home the win by a score of 86-69 in their last game. Michigan State wrapped up the game with a 44.9% FG percentage (31 out of 69) and converted 8 out of their 21 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the free throw line, the Spartans knocked down 16 of 20 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. Concerning grabbing boards, they collected 48 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 21 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing 9 turnovers and having 3 steals. In relation to defense, Michigan State allowed their opponent to shoot 39.7% from the floor on 27 of 68 shooting. Florida Atlantic earned 16 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Florida Atlantic collected 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Florida Atlantic walked away from this one shooting 78.6% at the free throw line by converting 11 of 14 attempts. They also made 4 of 22 attempts from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Spartans finished with 17 while Florida Atlantic recorded 22 fouls.

Coen Carr is one player who was important for the contest. He accumulated 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting. He played for 23 mins and totaled 8 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 77.8% from the field but had no assists when the game ended.

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Michigan State will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 10-2 so far this year. They are averaging 82.2 points per outing (56th in college hoops) while going 47.4% from the floor. The Spartans are shooting 28.7% on shots from beyond the arc (70 of 244) and 80.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Michigan State is collecting 42.4 boards per contest and has racked up 217 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 60th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.8 times per game and as a group they commit 15.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Spartans are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.5 personal fouls. They are giving up 30.0% on 3-point shots while they are 94th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (67.5). The Spartans defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.1% (288 of 719) and they concede 30.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 150th in the country in giving up assists to the opposition with 160 surrendered on the season.

In their last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes went home victorious with a score of 103-83 when they played Indiana State. When it comes to how they rebounded, Ohio State permitted Indiana State to grab 31 in total (9 offensive). They wrapped up this game 35.7% from three-point range by going 10 out of 28 and finished the game at 27 of 32 at the charity stripe (84.4%). The Buckeyes allowed Indiana State to make 23 of their 54 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 42.6% in this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Buckeyes walked away from this one shooting 34 out of 61 from the floor which had them shooting 55.7%. With respect to shots from beyond the arc, Ohio State buried 7 out of 21 attempts (33.3%). They were able to make 28 of the free throw tries for a rate of 68.3%. Indiana State committed 28 fouls for the game which took the Buckeyes to the free throw line for a total of 41 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 6 times, while getting 11 steals in this matchup. The Buckeyes earned 23 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 30 in this game.

Bruce Thornton was important for the Buckeyes in this game. He accumulated 33 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and earned 3 dimes for this contest. He converted 11 out of 16 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 68.8%, and accumulated 6 rebounds.

Ohio State has a record of 9-4 on the season. The Buckeyes commit 18.8 fouls every game and they shoot 69.7% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 14.9 times per game (131st in D-1) and they turn it over 10.4 times per game. Ohio State has scored 1,076 points for the year (82.8 per game) and they snag 35.5 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Buckeyes are shooting 50.5% from the field, which ranks 15th in college.

The Buckeyes on defense are ranked 147th in D-1 in points given up per game with 69.8. They are able to force 12.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.1% from the floor (18th in college). The Ohio State defense concedes 28.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (89 of 313) and their opponents are knocking down 77.5% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 10.0 assists and 33.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 25th and 143rd in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Michigan State

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