The Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS) finished last season with a 6-1 SU and ATS record over their last seven road games. The Buckeyes will be on the road for the first time this season when they visit the Xavier Musketeers (2-0, 1-1) on Thursday night.
- Date/Time: November 18, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Cintas Center
- TV Coverage: FS1
- Sportsbook Odds: Ohio State -1.5 | O/U 140.5 (Line History)
- Ohio State vs Xavier Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Buckeyes opened as 1.5-point favorites and have since been bet up slightly to Ohio State -2.5. The total in this matchup has settled in at 139 points after it opened on Wednesday at 140.5 points. Ohio State is 12-0 SU in its last 12 games played in November.
Ohio State News & Notes
Since Sportsbook the season with an underwhelming 67-66 win as 16.5-point favorites against the Akron Zips, the Buckeyes have been dialing it up on offense with an 84-74 win over the Niagara Purple Eagles and an 89-58 blowout of the Bowling Green Falcons. Ohio State showed off its scoring depth in that one with seven players scoring at least eight points and four scoring 12 or more.
E.J. Liddell scored only 13 points in the win over Bowling Green after scoring 25 against Akron and 29 against Niagara. Liddell averaged 16.2 points last season alongside Duane Washington Jr.’s 16.4 points per game. With Washington off to the NBA, Liddell will be the focal point of the offense this season.
Xavier News & Notes
With last year’s leading scorer, Zach Freemantle, out indefinitely with a foot injury, Paul Scruggs and Colby Jones have been picking up the slack on offense. Scruggs is averaging 20 points per game after scoring 23 points with seven rebounds in Xavier’s 73-59 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes, while Jones is averaging 17.5 points after netting 19 to go along with eight rebounds last Friday.
Jones and Scruggs make up a fantastic backcourt that will only get better when Freemantle returns in the frontcourt to give opposing defenses that much more to worry about. The Musketeers fell off the map last season with a 2-6 SU and ATS skid to end the season, but they were 11-2 SU before that and look poised to get back on track in 2021-22.
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How Ohio State Will Cover
Ohio State can win and cover this game by keeping its offense rolling in the right direction. Xavier ranked 87th in the country in scoring last season at 74.8 points per game and one of the team’s best offensive weapons in Freemantle is out injured. A fast pace and high-scoring game would benefit the Buckeyes.
How Xavier Will Cover
Xavier will be looking to limit Ohio State’s chances on offense and to make E.J. Liddell work for all of his shots. The Musketeers’ talented backcourt and home-court advantage could both help lead Xavier to a cover or an upset win with the right game flow.
Computer Pick: Xavier +2.5
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Buy Sports Picks Now- Ohio State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games as a favorite.
- Xavier is 13-2 SU in its last 15 home games.
- The UNDER is 4-1 in Xavier’s last 5 games.
