The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes will try to stay within striking distance of the leaders in the Big Ten standings when the two teams collide in a key conference matchup on Thursday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc. Both the Badgers (13-2, 4-1 Big Ten) and Buckeyes (10-3, 4-1) enter the game tied for third in the Big Ten standings, one game behind Michigan State (14-2, 5-0) and Illinois (12-3, 5-0). At 13-2, Wisconsin is off to its best start since the 2016-17 season.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Badgers are favored by 3.5 points in the latest Wisconsin vs. Ohio State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 141. Before locking in any Ohio State vs. Wisconsin picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,200 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, and just locked in its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Wisconsin vs. Ohio State:
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State spread: Badgers -3.5Wisconsin vs. Ohio State over-under: 141 pointsWisconsin vs. Ohio State money line: Badgers -170, Buckeyes +145WIS: Badgers lead the nation in turnovers per game (8.2).OHST: E.J. Liddell leads the Big Ten in blocks per game (3.15).
Featured Game | Wisconsin Badgers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Why Wisconsin can cover
Wisconsin arguably is the more proven and battle-tested team entering Thursday’s game. The Badgers have played the seventh toughest schedule in the country, according to KenPom. They also have four Quad 1 wins, equaling the most in Div. I, and eight wins over KenPom top 100 teams, tied for the most in the nation.
In addition, Wisconsin has a dynamic scorer in guard Johnny Davis. The 6-foot-5 sophomore is averaging 22.3 points, which ranks fourth in the country. On Jan. 3, he had a 37-point, 14-rebound performance in a win at No. 3 Purdue.
Why Ohio State can cover
E.J. Liddell is playing like a national Player of the Year candidate. The 6-foot-7 junior forward from Belleville, Ill., is the only player in the country averaging 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.5 assists per game. On Sunday in a win over Northwestern, Liddell made his first six shots of the game, including five 3-pointers en route to scoring a career-high 34 points.
In addition, Ohio State is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. The Buckeyes are shooting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks 13th in the nation. On Sunday against Northwestern, the Buckeyes made 11-of-25 3-point shots (44.0 percent).
How to make Wisconsin vs. Ohio State picks
The model is leaning over on the total, predicting 142 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio State vs. Wisconsin? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned over $2,200 on its college basketball picks the last five-plus years, and find out.
