The Ohio State Buckeyes will try to cover the spread at Value City Arena on Saturday when they get a visit from the Northern Kentucky Norse in NCAA basketball action.

Ohio State battles the Norse, currently sitting with a 0-4 mark (2-2 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 2-1 for the Buckeyes and 0-0 for the Norse.



View Northern Kentucky vs Ohio State Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game puts the Buckeyes, most recently No. 37 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Norse, who rate No. 331 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and computer-based handicapping simulations run on this game predict a potential 82-56 victory for the Buckeyes.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Norse is ranked No. 327 in NCAA hoops at 29.8 per game. Contrast that with Ohio State’s No. 146 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Ohio State is the No. 63-ranked team in the country at 7.6 per game, while Northern Kentucky rates No. 203 at 5.8 per game.

Defensively, Northern Kentucky features the nation's No. 125-rated defense on the road, allowing 67 points per game. Ohio State, meanwhile, comes in at No. 45 nationally in scoring at home.

Northern Kentucky was a 69-58 loser in their most recent outing on the road against CS Northridge. They failed to cover the 10-point spread as underdogs. CS Northridge got 14 points from Josh Greene en route to a 69-58 victory over Northern Kentucky on Sunday at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Ohio State was a 73-68 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Duke. They covered the 5.5-point spread as underdogs. Deshaun Thomas scored 16 points in a futile effort to lead the Buckeyes to a win (they lost 73-68 to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday).


Ohio State Buckeyes Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
After playing Duke are 2-0
After a loss are 10-0

A few Norse at Buckeyes trends to consider:
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Ohio State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games


Next up:
Northern Kentucky at Texas Tech, Tuesday, December 4
Ohio State home to Long Beach State, Saturday, December 8