Maryland vs Ohio State Odds & Picks: Trust The Buckeyes In Columbus

This is Ohio State's final push for a spot in March Madness—a demand to be perfect until the regular season wraps up. No. 18 Maryland is looking for a sweep after bulldozing the Buckeyes back in December. But, Ohio State's incentive has them as slight 1.5-point home favorites at FanDuel on Thursday night. 

Maryland vs Ohio State Odds Today

Matchup Page: Maryland vs Ohio State, 7:00 PM ET

Odds as of February 6 at Sportsbook

Maryland vs Ohio State Today

Ohio State -1.5 (-120) at Sportsbook

With a 13-9 record, the Buckeyes need to be close to perfect to round out their regular season slate. Aside from No. 24 Michigan, Ohio State doesn't have a weighted ranked schedule and are currently -550 to make the NCAA Tournament. But, their lasting appearance was a brutal loss to Illinois, where the Buckeyes coughed up a 42-36 lead at halftime. 

Maryland is holding steady, collecting five wins in its last six outings. After defeating the Bucketes 83-59 in early December, the Terrapins could be bringing the brooms out. However, when they last met, Maryland had home court advantage—where it's strung together a 13-1 SU record. 

The Terrapins are coming off an impressive performance, shooting 40% from the field and 50% from the perimeter in their win against Wisconsin. With Ohio State allowing just a 28.9 3PT% (ranked ninth), that success won't be easy to repeat. But, with Rodney Rice and Ja'Kobi Gillespie snagging 16 points a piece and the others on the floor also eclipsing double-digits, it was all hands on deck for Maryland. 

My biggest concern is Kevin Willard is 2-4 SU and 2-4 ATS when on the road. Ohio State's offensive is more lethal in Columbus, averaging 85.5 PPG compared to its 73.3 PPG mark on the road. I'm predicting the Buckeyes, and their defense specifically, learned their lesson from that devastating loss to Illinois. 

Maryland vs Ohio State prop

Bruce Thornton OVER 1.5 Threes (+110) at Sportsbook

Maryland's defense struggles from the visitors bench, allowing 75 PPG compared to 60.1 PPG in College Park. Sinking 15 three-pointers in his last four meetings, we've seen Thornton pull up beyond the arc more often than usual—and it's paying off as he hasn't recorded less than a 50 3PT% in that span. The junior has cashed the OVER on 1.5 three-pointers in four of his last five, averaging 3.2 threes per game in that timeline. 

Maryland vs Ohio State Betting Trends