Cincinnati vs. Ohio State Line at Buckeyes -7.5
Carrie Stroup here with your Cincinnati vs. Ohio State line, which was coming in at Buckeyes -7.5. You can find all the latest NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds here at Sportsbook.com, which was offering up to $250 in FREE CASH. The bonus code is CARRIE STROUP (restrictions do apply).
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Ohio State -7.5 & 129
Opening Line & Total: Buckeyes -8 & 130
Two of the four remaining Ohio teams square off in Boston on Thursday when sixth-seeded Cincinnati takes on No. 2 seed Ohio State.
The Bearcats have won each of their first two NCAA Tournament games by six points, topping Texas and Florida State. The Buckeyes have also won by comfortable margins (19 and 7), but they were certainly tested by Gonzaga on Saturday. However, OSU head coach Thad Matta does a great job preparing for his opponent, going 12-5 ATS (71%) with at least three days rest in between games this season, while Cincinnati is 7-7 ATS in this scenario. The Buckeyes are clearly the better team here. They score 74.8 PPG and allow just 59.3 PPG. They also outrebound teams by 7.6 RPG (6th in nation) and have a strong assist-to-turnover ratio (1.26, 23rd in nation). The Bearcats guard-heavy lineup does a great job protecting the basketball (10.7 TO per game), but they don’t have enough muscle inside (+0.4 RPG margin) and shoot poorly from all areas of the court (42% FG, 34% 3-pt FG, 64% FT) to make this a close game.
Cincinnati has thrived in the underdog role this season, going 8-4 ATS. The school is also 4-1 (SU and ATS) at a neutral site. These marks were both boosted with a 62-56 win over Florida State on Sunday. G Sean Kilpatrick led the way with 18 points (4-of-6 threes), G Dion Dixon chipped in with 15, and F Yancy Gates had 10. But the other two starters (Cashmere Wright and Jaquon Parker) shot a combined 4-of-18 from the field. The Bearcats did a great job pressuring the basketball, as they forced 17 FSU turnovers with 13 steals (five by Wright). For the season, Cincy ranks 17th in the nation with a 3.4 turnover margin, thanks in large part to Wright’s 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio. But because Gates is the only true interior player, the Bearcats will have to shoot better than they have all year, especially from behind the three-point line, to pull off this upset. Cincy has made just 8-of-31 threes (26%) in its two NCAA tourney wins.
Ohio State shoots 48.2% FG (17th in nation), including 54% on two-point baskets. Although it has five players that make more than 34% from downtown, the team connects on just 33.2% from behind the arc. The offense revolves around PF Jared Sullinger (17.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG), but sophomore F Deshaun Thomas (15.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG) has been on a scoring tear with 20.2 PPG and 7.7 RPG over his past 10 games. He has 50 points (20-of-37 FG) and 19 rebounds so far in the NCAA Tournament. Senior G William Buford (14.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG) has been wildly inconsistent all season (42.5% FG) and is shooting just 36% FG in his five postseason games (3 Big Ten, 2 NCAA). He’ll need to snap out of this funk for the Buckeyes to keep advancing. Sophomore point guard Aaron Craft (8.6 PPG, 4.6 APG) is the key to this offense. After a shaky first NCAA game against Loyola (MD) when he had four assists and five turnovers, Craft controlled Saturday’s contest against Gonzaga with 17 points (7-of-9 FG), 10 assists, three steals and just two turnovers. The Bearcats are relentless with their on-ball defense (8.1 SPG), so Craft has a big challenge in Thursday night’s game.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
