The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (21-9) and the No. 15 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (16-10) are poised to meet in their opening-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, tipping off at 3:00 PM ET on CBS. Ohio State is a 16.5-point favorite in this matchup. Here’s everything you need to know about this South Region matchup as you fill out your brackets.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from FanDuel as of March 16, 2021, 12:10 AM ET.
Betting Odds
| Favorite | Spread | Favorite Spread Odds | Underdog Spread Odds | Total | Over Total Odds | Under Total Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | -16.5 | -110 | -110 | 156.5 | -106 | -116 |
Keys to the Game for Ohio State
- The Buckeyes have covered the spread more often than not this season, going 15-13 against the spread.
- The Buckeyes have gone 2-2 as at least 16.5-point favorites.
- The Buckeyes generally hit the over, covering the point total in 14 out of 28 games (50%).
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Ohio State Leaders
- The Buckeyes scoring leader is Duane Washington Jr., who averages 16.3 per contest to go with 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
- E.J. Liddell leads the Buckeyes in rebounding, averaging 6.4 per game, while CJ Walker leads the team in assists, distributing an average of 4.4 in each contest.
- Washington provides the most three-point shooting production for the Buckeyes. He makes 2.9 threes per game.
- Justice Sueing and Liddell lead the Buckeyes on the defensive end, with Sueing leading the team in steals averaging 1.0 per game and Liddell in blocks averaging 1.1 per contest.
Keys to the Game for Oral Roberts
- Oral Roberts has a 14-9 record against the spread, covering in 60.9% of their matchups.
- Oral Roberts and its opponents have hit the over in more than half of their games this season — 16 of 23 (69.6%).
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Oral Roberts Leaders
- The Golden Eagles go-to guy, Max Abmas, leads the team in both scoring (24.4 points per game) and assists (3.8 assists per game).
- Kevin Obanor collects all of the boards and is the Oral Roberts leader in rebounds, getting 9.5 per game.
- Abmas paces the Golden Eagles with a team-high 3.6 made three-pointers per game.
- The Golden Eagles leaders in steals and blocks are Abmas (1.5 steals per game) and Francis Lacis (0.8 blocks per game).
Computer Picks
Pick ATS:
Golden Eagles (+16.5)
Pick OU:
Under (156.5)
Prediction: Ohio State 83, Oral Roberts 70
Predictions are calculated by a data-driven algorithm (raw power score) that ranks head-to-head matchup results within a closed network of games. Prediction confidence is determined by the delta between each team’s raw power score.
Last 5 Games
| Ohio State | Oral Roberts | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 3/14/2021 | Illinois | Loss | 91-88 | 3/9/2021 | North Dakota State | Win | 75-72 |
| 3/13/2021 | Michigan | Win | 68-67 | 3/8/2021 | South Dakota State | Win | 90-88 |
| 3/12/2021 | Purdue | Win | 87-78 | 3/7/2021 | North Dakota | Win | 76-65 |
| 3/11/2021 | Minnesota | Win | 79-75 | 2/28/2021 | Western Illinois | Win | 95-59 |
| 3/6/2021 | Illinois | Loss | 73-68 | 2/27/2021 | Western Illinois | Win | 85-81 |
Against The Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
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