The Ohio State Buckeyes will play host to the No. 19 Maryland Terrapins on Friday in Big Ten men's basketball action. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. The Terps have raced out to a 6-1 start in league play and a 15-3 record overall, while Ohio State is at 2-3 in the Big Ten and 12-4 on the season. However, it's the Buckeyes who are favored by three points at Value City Arena with the total at 139.5 in the latest Ohio State vs. Maryland odds. Mark Turgeon's Maryland squad hasn't been tested often on the road this season, as this is just the Terps' fifth true road game. However, Ohio State's only decent home win this season came against Minnesota. So before you make your Ohio State vs. Maryland picks, be sure to check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned over $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks.
It enters Week 11 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a strong 22-8 run on all of its top-rated picks. Anybody who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model takes aim at this Big Ten matchup. We can tell you it has a lean to the over, and it also has a strong pick against the spread, saying one side hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before you lock in your own picks.
For the Buckeyes, the model knows that how they defend the 3-point line and the perimeter in general will be key.
Ohio State has only allowed opponents to shoot 29.4 percent from beyond the arc so far this season. That's good for the 25th-best mark in the nation. In conference play, that opposing 3-point shooting percentage drops all the way to 25.6.
That ability to run their foes off the 3-point line has helped Ohio State rank 20th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency rating according to KenPom. With aggressive man-to-man defense and help-side shading, the Buckeyes disrupt ball movement to only allow assists on 46.6 percent of opponents' made field goals. That defense will be key to knocking off a ranked Maryland squad that has hit 38.8 percent of 3-pointers in Big Ten play.
However, the Terrapins certainly won't make it easy for the Buckeyes to cover the Ohio State vs. Maryland spread.
They have impressive size in the front court, with Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith both measuring at 6-feet-10. The pair combines to average 26.8 points and 17 rebounds, and Fernando in particular is important to what the Terrapins want to do on both ends of the floor.
Fernando is a true back-to-the-basket post player in an era where that is becoming more and more uncommon. He shoots 67.8 percent from the floor and Maryland works hard to get him post touches as often as possible. Defensively, he's an incredible rim protector as well. He is averaging 2.2 blocks this season and how he matches up with Ohio State forward Kaleb Wesson could determine the outcome in this Big Ten matchup.
Who wins Maryland vs. Ohio State? And which side of the spread hits in well over half of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the model that has returned more than $5,200 to $100 players the last two years, and find out.
