Ohio State vs West Virginia Basketball Prediction & Picks: Will the Buckeyes Make Light Work of the Mountaineers in Cleveland?

Yesterday, Ohio State fell as a favorite against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, thanks in part to the early loss of quarterback Devin Brown to injury. Tonight, OSU’s men’s basketball team will look to avoid a similar fate as they take on West Virginia in the Legends of Basketball Showcase in Cleveland (7:00 pm ET, FOX).

The Buckeyes (10-2, 1-1 Big Ten) have had a strong start to the season, losing only to Texas A&M at home and against Penn State on the road. Last time out, they put the clamps on New Orleans, holding the Privateers to 25% shooting in a 78-36 win nine days ago.

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While the Buckeyes are in a strong position to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out on March Madness last season, West Virginia (5-7) has struggled mightily, and the Mountaineers enter the final non-conference play needing a lot of work to even be an NIT team this season.

However, there are some encouraging signs for West Virginia. After missing the first ten games this season, Montana State transfer RaeQuan Battle made his debut last week and promptly claimed Big 12 Player of the Week honors after putting up 58 points in two games.

Ohio State vs West Virginia Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our BetOnline review.

Spread

• Ohio State -10 (-110)
• West Virginia +10 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 147 (-105)
• Under 147 (-115)

Moneyline

• Ohio State -500
• West Virginia +395

Last Five Games for Ohio State

• vs New Orleans (12/21): won 78-36
• (Atlanta, GA – CBS Sports Classic) vs UCLA (12/16): won 67-60
• at Penn State (12/9): lost 83-80
• vs Miami (OH) (12/6): won 84-64
• vs Minnesota (12/3): won 84-74

Last Five Games for West Virginia

• vs Toledo (12/23): won 91-81
• vs Radford (12/20): lost 66-65
• (Springfield, MA – Basketball Hall of Fame Classic) vs UMass (12/16): lost 87-79
• vs Drexel (12/9): won 66-60
• vs Pittsburgh (12/6): lost 80-63

Players to Watch for Ohio State

• Bruce Thornton: 17.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.1 APG
• Jamison Battle: 14.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 41.9% 3PT
• Roddy Gayle Jr.: 13.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 52.3% FG, 40.6% 3PT
• Zed Key: 10.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 60.6% FG

Players to Watch for West Virginia

• RaeQuan Battle: 29.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 SPG
• Quinn Slazinski: 15.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.2 APG
• Noah Farrakhan: 14.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG
• Kerr Kriisa: 11.7 PPG, 7.7 APG, 41.7% 3PT

Ohio State vs West Virginia Prediction and Picks

Along with Battle, Farrakhan and Kriisa are now on the court for the Mountaineers after missing the first nine games, and the Eastern Michigan and Arizona transfers have also been highly impactful.

Those additions don’t suddenly make West Virginia a contender in the Big 12, but they do most certainly make this team much more dangerous, even with big man Jesse Edwards sidelined for a few weeks with a wrist injury.

I do expect Ohio State to come away with the win in Cleveland, but even without Edwards, I think the Mountaineers can be competitive enough to cover.

Prediction: Ohio State to win

Picks: West Virginia +10 & Ohio State/West Virginia first half over 69 (Both -110 at BetOnline – Bet these plays and get a 100% BONUS on your first cryptocurrency deposit)

Bonus Prop Pick: Quinn Slazinski over 12.5 points (-120 at Bovada – Bet these lines and get a 75% WELCOME BONUS if your first deposit is via crypto)

Slazinski has scored 13 or more points in all but one game, which was the loss to Radford (4 points, 2 of 10 FG, 0 of 4 3PT). Even with Battle now available, Slazinski should still get plenty of shots against Ohio State, judging by the ten he had against Radford and the 13 he had against Toledo.

If he does indeed continue to fire away regularly, he should continue to put up solid scoring numbers, especially if more of his three-point attempts–he is shooting only 32.8% on 5.3 attempts per game and went 1 of 10 against Radford and Toledo–start falling.

Where to Bet on College Basketball

If you are looking for college basketball odds, you will always be spoiled for choice.

Sports betting sites all over the internet offer a vast array of NCAA basketball odds throughout the season, from the opening tip in November to the conclusion of the season in early April.

Along with being able to bet on games like Nevada vs Hawaii, many online sportsbooks offer men’s college basketball national championship odds, women’s college basketball national championship odds, men’s Wooden Award odds, women’s Wooden Award odds, and odds on who will win early season and conference tournaments.

Below are some of the books that we highly recommend for college basketball betting:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

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• NCAA Basketball Best Spread & Total Bets for 12/30
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• College Basketball Betting Guide
• Men’s Wooden Award Winner Odds
• Women’s Wooden Award Winner Odds