The Cincinnati Bearcats face a tough task in the East Region semifinal and they are underdogs of 8 points against No. 2 seed Ohio State.
The Sweet 16 has not been kind to Buckeye bettors (they are 0-3 ATS at this stage since 2001) but they have the superior talent here.
But Cincinnati is 8-3 ATS past 11 games as underdog and 8-1 ATS in their past 9 games overall, so expect plenty of wagering interest on the Big East team.
The Buckeyes are 10-4 ATS past 14 games as fave of 8 or more points, which is the situation at Sportsbook and they have been OVER machines lately, going 8-1 past 9 games overall.
The Buckeyes currently sports a 29-7 record overall in college hoops action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 18-14 ATS. The Bearcats are 26-10 and 17-13 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Buckeyes produce a 19-12-1 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Bearcats have gone 13-17 against the number.
View Cincinnati vs Ohio State Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 4-rated Buckeyes and the No. 48-ranked Bearcats, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 81-73 result in favor of the Buckeyes.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Ohio State's No. 35 nationally ranked offense (74.8 points per game) against a Bearcats defense that sits as the No. 34 at 61 PPG. The Buckeyes have been averaging 48.2% from the field, more than the Bearcats have managed so far this season (42% on average).
Defensively, Cincinnati features the nation's No. 56-rated defense on the road, allowing 64.6 points per game. Ohio State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 49 nationally in scoring at home.
In their last action, Cincinnati was a 62-56 Sportsbook on the road against Florida State. They covered the 3-point spread as underdogs. The Bearcats got 18 points from Sean Kilpatrick as Cincinnati ran past Florida State 62-56 on Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.
Ohio State was a 73-66 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Gonzaga. They failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as favorites. Ohio State got 18 points from Jared Sullinger en route to a 73-66 victory over Gonzaga on Saturday at Consol Energy Center.
