Northwestern Wildcats vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/09/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 9, 2023

Venue:  The Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +5.5, Ohio State -5.5; Over/Under:  137 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +5.5, Ohio State -5.5; Over/Under:  137 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Northwestern +5.5, Ohio State -5.5; Over/Under:  137 points

Northwestern Wildcats:  16-7 (7-5) (5th place, Big Ten)

Ohio State Buckeyes:  11-12 (3-9) (13th place, Big Ten)

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Northwestern Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Ohio State Buckeyes:  1-4  last 5

Northwestern is coming into this game with a 16-7 record overall and they are 5-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 7-5 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game off of a win against the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Boo Buie led the team in points in that game with 13 while Chase Audige was next on the team with 11 points. Boo Buie led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Chase Audige and Brooks Barnhizer each led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 46.7% from the field, 26.7% from 3-point range, and 61.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 68.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62 PPG against them. Northwestern has an ATS record of 13-10 this season and their O/U record is 10-13.

Ohio State is coming into this game with an 11-12 record overall and they are 8-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 3-9 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 4 game losing streak with losses coming against the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Indiana Hoosiers, the Wisconsin Badgers, and the Michigan Wolverines in their last game. Bruce Thornton led the team in points in that game with 22 while Justice Sueing and Brice Sensabaugh each were next on the team with 14 points. Sean McNeil and Isaac Likekele each led the team in assists in that game with 2 while Brice Sensabaugh led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 40.6% from the field, 31.3% from 3-point range, and 70.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68 PPG against them. Ohio State has an ATS record of 8-15 this season and their O/U record is 13-10.

The current betting odds have Northwestern listed as a 5.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Northwestern has been having a great year as they are slowly moving up the standings in the Big Ten with their 7-5 conference record and they are also 16-7 overall. They have been a very good road team too as they are 5-2 in their road games this year and they have been playing their best in games over the last few weeks now. Ohio State has been struggling a lot this year and haven't really been good at all. They have a losing record at 11-12 overall and they are 3-9 in their conference games too. They have been alright at home with their 8-3 home record but they just haven't been playing well lately while Northwestern has been great in road games and has been a much better team overall this season. Northwestern has the potential to pull off an upset win in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on Northwestern to cover the spread in this game.

Northwestern Ohio State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, February 9, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Northwestern 63 Ohio State 61.

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Northwestern Wildcats: 11-5 ATS after scoring 60 points or less. 10-4 ATS after a combined score of 125 points or less. 36-16 UNDER off a road win.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 2-10 ATS against conference opponents. 1-7 ATS after 3 consecutive conference games. 24-15 UNDER as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points.

Northwestern Wildcats:  J. Roper II (G) Ques Thurs - Ankle. L. Hunger (F) out for season - Foot.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  None.

“Well, I thought tonight was a good, old-fashioned, physical Big Ten game. You had two — I thought — desperate teams in the back half of the conference now and two teams that are fighting like crazy to try to keep pace in this league that’s been so difficult this year. Couldn’t have been more proud of our guys. I thought we kept our composure down the stretch.” - Chris Collins after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game.

"I was just trying to keep -- I think seeing the game sometimes. He got in foul trouble last game. So I mean, Brice is gonna play a consistent role. I know people get wrapped up in the starting but he's gonna play starter minutes." - Chris Holtmann after his team’s loss against Michigan in their last game.

C. Audige 

R. Beran 

T. Berry 

B. Buie 

M. Nicholson

Z. Key 

I. Likekele 

S. McNeil 

J. Sueing 

B. Thornton

PPG: B. Buie (16.1)

APG: B. Buie (4.5)

Reb/G: M. Nicholson (6)

PPG: B. Sensabaugh (17.3)

APG: I. Likekele (2.9)

Reb/G: Z. Key (7.7)

Coaches:

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (10th season)

Ohio State Buckeyes: Chris Holtmann (6th season)