🏀 Indiana vs. Ohio State Prediction & Odds: College Basketball Picks Today (March 7)

It does not get more "bubblicious" than this as Ohio State hosts Indiana in a game between two Big Ten rivals that are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Tipoff from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, is set for 5:30 p.m. ET (FOX), with the Buckeyes listed as the 3.5-point betting favorite.

My Indiana vs. Ohio State prediction is buying into the red-hot Buckeyes, who finally have their complete roster healthy. In addition to a score prediction, I also offer my best player prop wagers for Buckeyes leading scorer Bruce Thornton. I look to build off the momentum of cashing a +593 same-game parlay with my Ohio State vs. Penn State prediction earlier this week.

🏀 Indiana vs. Ohio State picks & odds today: March 7

See all of our experts' college basketball picks based on the latest college basketball odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.

Total wagered: 3.0 units | Max profit: 2.93 units

💰 Indiana vs. Ohio State prediction & best bet

Ohio State -3.5 (-115)

Four games ago, Ohio State led Michigan State by three points on the road (and lost by six) while playing without John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal. 

Mobley and Royal are two of three Buckeyes averaging 14-plus points per game. With them healthy for wins over Purdue and Penn State, the Buckeyes have made 25-of-47 3-point attempts (53.2%), while scoring 1.33 and 1.45 points per possession, respectively.

Indiana is going the other way heading into the Big Ten Tournament while just snapping a four-game losing streak during which it lost by an average of 16.5 points.

Score prediction: Ohio State 79, Indiana 73

🔥 Best Indiana vs. Ohio State player prop bet

Bruce Thornton Under 2.5 assists (+115)

Last weekend, Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears dished out nine assists against Indiana’s drop coverage, giving him 19 total in the two games against the Hoosiers. While Bruce Thornton leads the Buckeyes with 3.8 assists per game, Ohio State’s offense can tend to be stagnant and rely on one-on-one opportunities.

Ohio State ranks 212th in the country with a 51.4% assist rate on made field goals. That number drops to 48.7% in league play, 15th-lowest among all Big Ten teams. 

Meanwhile, Indiana allows assists at just a 49% rate (ranks 93rd), and is the Big Ten’s fifth-best defense in that regard. 

Thornton has been feast or famine with three games of five-plus assists in the last seven, but he has finished with two or fewer assists in each of the other four.

🚀 Indiana vs. Ohio State same-game parlay

Since the calendar turned to March, Ohio State ranks in the top five in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage. That bodes well for its chances of covering the spread and cashing the Over, especially so if leading scorer Bruce Thornton is scoring most of the points and not assisting on other baskets.

💡 How I'm betting Indiana vs. Ohio State

Follow all of our college basketball analysis and expert predictions this season.

Despite the fact that Indiana hasn't won a road game since Jan. 31, I am not making my Buckeyes point spread pick anything higher than a one-unit play. 

I am getting the best number on the point spread and total through FanDuel, locking in at -3.5 before the number spiked. But my same-game parlay is made through bet365, as FanDuel only had player props available for points at the time of this writing.

📊 Live Indiana vs. Ohio State odds

Any opening numbers of Buckeyes -3.5 did not last long. That is especially true at FanDuel, where Ohio State was bet up to -4.5 within an hour of the line posting. The O/U of 149.5 has been more stable in comparison, and is a sharp line based on near dead-even early betting splits.

📈 Indiana vs. Ohio State betting trends

📺 How to watch Indiana vs. Ohio State

• Date: Saturday, March 7
• Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Value City Arena (Columbus, Ohio)
• TV: FOX