Halftime Report
Minnesota has overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have jumped out to a quick 28-27 lead against Ohio State.
If Minnesota keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 9-6 in no time. On the other hand, Ohio State will have to make due with a 9-6 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
Current Records: Ohio State 9-5, Minnesota 8-6
How To Watch
When: Monday, January 6, 2025 at 9 p.m. ETWhere: Williams Arena — Minneapolis, MinnesotaTV: Fox Sports 1Follow: CBS Sports AppOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Ticket Cost: $7.00
What to Know
Ohio State and Minnesota are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers have the home-court advantage, but the Buckeyes are expected to win by 5.5 points.
The experts predicted Ohio State would be headed in after a victory, but Michigan State made sure that didn’t happen. Ohio State took a 69-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of Michigan State on Friday. The Buckeyes’ defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Even though they lost, Ohio State smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That’s the most offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, Minnesota managed to keep up with Purdue until halftime on Thursday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Minnesota suffered a grim 81-61 loss to Purdue. The Golden Gophers have struggled against the Boilermakers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Dawson Garcia, who went 8 for 15 en route to 20 points plus five rebounds. Lu’Cye Patterson was another key player, scoring 14 points along with eight rebounds.
Ohio State’s defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-5. As for Minnesota, their loss dropped their record down to 8-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday’s game: Ohio State has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.1% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Minnesota, though, as they’ve only made 30.1% of their threes this season. Given Ohio State’s sizable advantage in that area, Minnesota will need to find a way to close that gap.
Ohio State came up short against Minnesota in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 88-79. Can Ohio State avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Ohio State is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Minnesota, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 5.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 137.5 points.
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Series History
Minnesota and Ohio State both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
Feb 22, 2024 – Minnesota 88 vs. Ohio State 79Dec 03, 2023 – Ohio State 84 vs. Minnesota 74Jan 12, 2023 – Minnesota 70 vs. Ohio State 67Feb 15, 2022 – Ohio State 70 vs. Minnesota 45Jan 27, 2022 – Ohio State 75 vs. Minnesota 64Mar 11, 2021 – Ohio State 79 vs. Minnesota 75Jan 03, 2021 – Minnesota 77 vs. Ohio State 60Jan 23, 2020 – Minnesota 62 vs. Ohio State 59Dec 15, 2019 – Minnesota 84 vs. Ohio State 71Dec 02, 2018 – Ohio State 79 vs. Minnesota 59
