Valentine’s Day Free Sports Pick: Badgers vs. Buckeyes

The ESPN College Gameday crew will be spending their Valentine's holiday in Madison, WI, awaiting the 9:00 pm between the Badgers and the Buckeyes.

This game is intriguing, as Ohio State and Wisconsin are both playing better and each will try to stay hot in order to improve their tournament resume.

This turns out to be were the flex scheduling could come in handy, with neither Ohio State (17-5, 11-7 ATS) nor Wisconsin among the leaders in the Big Ten, like many believed back in November.

To start the conference campaign, the Buckeyes lost confidence shooting. After converting 54.8 percent against Michigan State, the swagger returned across the board and the Buckeyes have shot better than 54 percent in their last five outings.

Evan Turner has been the catalyst and his aggressive play has led the surge. The Scarlet and Gray are 20-9 ATS after playing a home game and have won and covered four in a row.

Wisconsin (15-9, 10-11-1 ATS) is working on a big second half push, with three consecutive triumphs, trying to get themselves to 19 wins by season's end and hoping for a win or two in the Big Ten tourney, which might be enough to get them into the Big Dance.

Coach Bo Ryan went back to basics and worked his players through the most elementary of fundamentals to finally end their six game losing streak when they defeated Illinois.

For the Badgers, it is about playing the man defense with help and sagging in the post area. When the players execute this properly, Wisconsin is a tough out. They are 16-7 ATS off a straight up victory.

The Badgers are 6-3 and 4-5 ATS vs. Buckeyes at the Kohl Center.

StatFox Power Line - Wisconsin by 5  and be sure to bet this one at Sportsbook.com - Receive a 10 percent cash bonus with your initial deposit.