The Ohio State Buckeyes will host the No. 18 Michigan St. Spartans in Big Ten action on Friday. Ohio State is 9-4 overall, including 1-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan State is 11-2 overall, including 2-0 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are coming off a 103-83 non-conference victory over Indiana State on Sunday, and the Spartans are coming off an 80-62 non-conference win over Western Michigan on Monday. Ohio State defeated Michigan State, 60-57, on the road in their only matchup last season, and the two programs are 4-4 head-to-head since the start of the 2019-20 college basketball season.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Michigan State vs. Ohio State odds, while the over/under is 149 points per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Ohio State vs. Michigan State picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the proven model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 9 of the 2024-25 season on a 183-130 betting roll (+2520) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Michigan State vs. Ohio State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the Ohio State vs. Michigan State game:
- Ohio State vs. Michigan State spread: Ohio State -2.5
- Ohio State vs. Michigan State over/under: 149 points
- Ohio State vs. Michigan State money line: OSU: -147, MSU: +123
- Michigan State: It is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) over its last six games
- Ohio State: It has covered the spread in each of its last three games
- Ohio State vs. Michigan State picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Ohio State vs. Michigan State streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Michigan State can cover
The Spartans enter on a six-game winning streak, which started with a 94-91 overtime victory over No. 12 North Carolina in the third-place game of The Maui Invitational on Nov. 27. Michigan State has scored more than 85 points in four of the six victories as the Spartans are averaging 82 ppg, which ranks 39th in the nation. The Spartans are one of the best rebounding teams in the country, averaging 42 rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the nation, led by 6-foot-9 junior forward Jaxon Kohler's 8.4 rebounds with 8.1 points per game.
Kohler is one of five Spartans averaging more than eight points per game in a balanced offensive attack. Senior guard Jaden Akins leads the team at 13.7 ppg, and he's scored at least 17 points in three of his last four games. Tom Izzo is in his 30th season as head coach at Michigan State as he's built one of the top basketball programs in the nation. Michigan State has a .707 win percentage under Izzo and has won at least 20 games in 12 of the last 13 years. See which team to pick here.
Why Ohio State can cover
The Buckeyes enter on a three-game winning streak, which includes an 85-65 victory over No. 4 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden at the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 21. Junior guard Bruce Thornton scored a career-high 30 points in the victory, only to surpass that in the ensuing game when the Buckeyes defeated Indiana State behind 33 points from Thornton. He's averaging 17.4 ppg this season after averaging 15.7 ppg last year.
Ohio State is shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc, which ranks 13th in college basketball. The Buckeyes are 2-2 against ranked opponents this season with victories over Kentucky and No. 19 Texas this year. Ohio State is 7-1 at home this season and went 15-5 in Columbus last year, and that homecourt advantage could play a key role on Friday. See which team to pick here.
How to make Ohio State vs. Michigan State picks
The model has simulated Michigan State vs. Ohio State 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it says one side of the spread hits over 70% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio State vs. Michigan State, and which side of the spread hits over 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Michigan State vs. Ohio State spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 183-130 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
