The Northwestern Wildcats battle the Ohio State Buckeyes in a key Big Ten Conference matchup on Thursday. Northwestern is coming off a 68-64 loss to Nebraska on Sunday, while Ohio State dropped an 86-83 decision to Michigan that same day. The Wildcats (13-13, 4-11 Big Ten), who have lost six of seven, including three in a row, are 0-8 on the road this season. The Buckeyes (15-11, 7-8 Big Ten), who have won five of eight, are 10-5 on their home court.
Tip-off from Value Center Arena in Columbus, Ohio, is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Ohio State is a 10.5-point favorite in the latest Northwestern vs. Ohio State odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 142.5. Before making any Ohio State vs. Northwestern picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 16 of the 2024-25 season on a 213-158 betting roll (+1675) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Northwestern vs. Ohio State. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Ohio State vs. Northwestern:
Junior guard Bruce Thornton is coming off back-to-back 17-point performances. He poured in 31 points, while adding five rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 73-70 win over Maryland. In 26 games, all starts, he is averaging 17.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and one steal in 35.6 minutes. He connects on 51.4% of his field goals, including a blistering 45.8% from 3-point range, and 82.9% of his free throws.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal has been dominant at times. In 25 games, including 21 starts, he is averaging 14 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27.7 minutes. In Sunday’s loss to Michigan, he poured in 26 points, while grabbing five rebounds. He had 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds in an 87-79 loss at Illinois on Feb. 2. See which team to pick here.
Junior forward Nick Martinelli has registered five double-doubles on the season, including a 23-point and 10-rebound effort in a 76-71 loss at Washington on Feb. 8. He had 27 points and 13 rebounds in a 77-75 win over USC on Feb. 4. He is coming off a 23-point and nine-rebound effort in the loss to Nebraska on Sunday. In 26 games, all starts, he is averaging 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 37.7 minutes.
Senior guard Ty Berry has been on a roll. He is coming off back-to-back 23-point and two-rebound performances in losses to Nebraska on Sunday and at Oregon on Feb. 11. He had 23 points and seven rebounds in a 79-70 win over Indiana on Jan. 22. In 26 games, including 21 starts, he is averaging 10.1 points, three rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 assists in 27.9 minutes. See which team to pick here.
SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total, projecting 147 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio State vs. Northwestern, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $1,600 on its college basketball picks dating back to 2023, and find out.
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