Valparaiso Beacons vs Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/17/24
Planning on watching today’s Beacons and Buckeyes game? Catch the action at Value City Arena in Columbus, OH, as the Buckeyes hosts this showdown at 8:00 ET on PEAC. The odds for this non-conference game currently have Ohio State as the -21.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 151.5 points.
VALPARAISO BEACONS VS OHIO STATE BUCKEYES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Valparaiso Beacons +21.5
This game will be played at Value City Arena at 8:00 ET on Tuesday, December 17th.
WHY BET THE VALPARAISO BEACONS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-70 in favor of the Buckeyes.
- Even though we have Ohio State winning straight-up, we like Valparaiso at +21.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 151.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 147 points.
Is an Upset Waiting to Happen on the Road?
Valparaiso Beacons Recent Game/Games
The Beacons evened their record at 4-4 with a 93-77 win over Central Michigan on Saturday. Playing at home, Valparaiso entered the game as slight -1 favorites and covered the spread with the win.
Valpo led 36-31 at halftime and broke the game open in the 2nd half, scoring 57 points while allowing 46. The game’s total points of 170 went over the pre-game O/U line of 144.5.
Valparaiso’s offense put up 93 points in their last game, shooting 46.6% from the field and hitting 42.3% from three-point range (11/26). Their effective field goal percentage was 55.2%, and they were nearly perfect from the free-throw line, making 28 of 31 attempts (90.3%).
All Wright led the way with 26 points, hitting 4 of 8 from deep, while Tyler Schmidt added 21 points, connecting on 4 of 5 threes. Anthony Pritchard contributed 20 points, and Ugnius Jarusevicius chipped in 18, shooting 50% from the field.
Valparaiso’s defense gave up 77 points in their last game, with opponents shooting 46% from the field. The Beacons allowed 16 two-point field goals on 32 attempts, a 50% shooting rate.
From beyond the arc, Valparaiso’s opponents hit 11 threes on 26 attempts, shooting 42%. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 31 times, where they made 28, a 90% success rate. Valparaiso gave up 9 offensive rebounds.
Will the Buckeyes Pull Through as the Favored Home Team?
Ohio State dropped to 6-4 on the season after a tough 91-53 road loss to Auburn on Saturday. The Buckeyes entered the game as +12.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 144, falling short of the 151.5 O/U line.
Ohio State found themselves in a deep hole early, trailing 49-21 at halftime. They managed to score 32 points in the second half but allowed 42 points, unable to close the gap.
Ohio State struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 53 points on 35.3% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 41.2%, with a two-point shooting mark of 34.3% (12/35) and a three-point percentage of 37.5% (6/16).
The Buckeyes managed only 7 assists and 5 offensive rebounds, while shooting 57.9% from the free-throw line (11/19). Johni Broome led the team with 21 points and 20 rebounds, while Denver Jones added 14 points, hitting 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Ohio State’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 91 points on 45% shooting from the field. The Buckeyes allowed their opponent to connect on 33 of 72 attempts.
From beyond the arc, Ohio State’s opponent shot 43%, hitting 13 of 30 three-pointers. They also sent them to the free-throw line 14 times, where they converted 12 attempts for 85%.