SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking focuses on key matchups from the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences on his Monday college basketball betting card.
No. 4 Ohio State at Maryland
Red-hot Ohio State travels to Maryland for a Big Ten Conference battle tonight. This is the lone meeting this season and tipoff for the Buckeyes vs. Terrapins contest is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. These teams split the season series last year as the Terrapins posted a 67–55 victory in Maryland and the Buckeyes won 79–72 in Ohio. The Buckeyes have lost five straight games in Maryland and have not recorded a road win against the Terrapins since 1979.
Ohio State (15–4, 9–4 Big Ten) is playing a second straight road game after posting an 89–85 win against No. 8 Iowa on Feb 4. The Buckeyes defeated the Hawkeyes outright as 5.5-point underdogs. Ohio State is on a 7–1 straight up run and the offense has led the way. The streak includes victories against No. 15 Rutgers (79–68), No. 14 Illinois (87–81) and No. 10 Wisconsin (74–62). The lone loss was against Purdue (67–65) as the Boilermakers drained a 3-point shot with just five seconds left on the clock.
Maryland (10–9, 4–8 Big Ten) returns home following a 55–50 loss on the road to Penn State on Feb 5. The Terrapins are facing an AP Top 25 ranked team for the ninth time over their last 12 games. They are 4–4 straight up and 3–5 against the spread in the previous eight contests. The Terrapins are 2–3 and have been held to 63 or fewer points during the last five contests. They will need to find some offense against the Buckeyes who have scored at least 74 points during seven of their last eight games.
Ohio State enters this game with an edge on offense as the Buckeyes are averaging 77.7 points per game (ppg) while the Terrapins are scoring 69.7 ppg. The numbers are closer on defense as Maryland is allowing 66.1 ppg and Ohio State is giving up 68.6 ppg. The Terrapins have struggled on offense recently and now face a red-hot Buckeyes squad that has won four straight road games. I expect both of those trends to continue in this contest. Lay the line and back Ohio State to cover the point spread.
Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes -3.5 (-113) at DraftKings
Bet on College Basketball All Season at DraftKings
Oklahoma State at Kansas
Hot meets cold when Oklahoma State visits Kansas for a Big 12 Conference showdown tonight. The Jayhawks enter tonight's matchup not in the Top 25 since 2009, when they began a 12-year run since February 2, 2009.
The Cowboys vs. Jayhawks contest is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kans. This is the second of two meetings this season after Oklahoma State upset Kansas 75–70 as 3.5-point underdogs at home back on Jan. 12. That snapped a five-game winning streak by Kansas in this rivalry series. The Jayhawks won 65–50 on the road and 83–58 at home during two meetings last season.
Oklahoma State (12–5, 5–5 Big 12) heads to Kansas following a 75–67 double-overtime win at home against No. 6 Texas on Saturday. The Cowboys outscored the Longhorns 10–2 in the second overtime period to earn the win as 2-point home underdogs. That was an impressive rebound after Oklahoma State lost 81–78 to TCU as 4.5-point road favorites on Feb. 3. The Cowboys are 6–2 overall on the road this season, plus 5–2 straight up and against the spread during their last seven games.
Kansas (12–7, 6–5 Big 12) is back at home following a 91–79 loss on the road to No. 17 West Virginia on Saturday. The Mountaineers led 44–34 at halftime and easily covered as 2-point favorites. After opening the season with a 10–2 record, the Jayhawks are just 2–5 straight up and against the spread over their last seven games. During that span, the two outright wins were both home games against TCU and Kansas State. Those two teams have a combined 4–15 record against Big 12 opponents this season.
These teams have posted similar numbers at both ends of the court. Oklahoma State is averaging 76.8 ppg on offense and Kansas is scoring 73.8 ppg. The Jayhawks have a slight edge on defense as they are allowing 68.5 ppg while the Cowboys are giving up 71.5 ppg. Oklahoma State and Kansas have played a lot of high scoring contests recently. OVER has cashed in eight of the Cowboys’ last 10 games and seven of the last 10 Jayhawks’ contests. I am betting on another high scoring contest here.
Pick: Oklahoma State at Kansas OVER 140.5 points at DraftKings
2020–21 NCAA Basketball Betting Record: 20-10 ATS
MORE FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Top 10 of Men's AP Poll Sees Shakeup; Kansas' Top 25 Streak Ends