Sunday in CBB we will see the 15th ranked Wisconsin Badgers travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the 9th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The game is scheduled for a 4:00 pm tipoff and will be televised live on CBS. Currently Ohio State is favored by 9 points with the total being set at 121.5 for the game. The eighth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will try to keep the possibility of a Big Ten championship alive as they host the 16th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers for a Senior Day battle at Value City Arena.
Free Analysis: Since coach Bo Ryan took over the program before the 2001-02 season, the Badgers have accumulated 47 road wins in conference play and 61 overall – both marks are best in the Big Ten over that time. The Badgers come in with a 20-8 overall record after their 67-66 setback to Iowa on Thursday. Wisconsin's national-leading defense allowed 67 points in the loss, which was the third-highest scoring output by an opponent this season. One problem area recently has been Wisconsin’s renowned defense, which has allowed two of its last three opponents to shoot 48 percent or better from the field after not allowing a single opponent to shoot that well over its first 25 games. Overall though the Badgers are still 1st in the Nation in points allowed at 51.7 ppg. Wisconsin will go as far as its star point guard Jordan Taylor can carry it this season. Taylor leads the team with averages of 14.1 points and 4.2 assists per contest. The senior guard has been struggling lately, as he will look to bounce back after his 17-game streak of double-digit scoring finishes ended when he scored only nine points versus Iowa on Thursday. While Taylor handles the ball, Ryan Evans and Jared Berggren do work inside the paint. Evans is averaging 10.7 points and 6.9 boards per game, while Berggren provides 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing. Ben Brust is an additional scoring threat that Wisconsin has rode to victories this season. The defeat at Iowa made Wisconsin 9-6 in Big Ten play, and mathematically eliminated Wisconsin from a Big Ten regular season championship. Wisconsin is still a shoe-in to be invited to the NCAA Tournament after an impressive season overall. If No. 9 Ohio State has designs on earning a share of a Big Ten regular season title, it will almost certainly need to begin its final three-game stretch with a win in its final home game over No. 15 Wisconsin – the conference’s most successful road team over the past 10 seasons. The Buckeyes are in the top 10 in several NCAA statistical categories - second in scoring margin (plus-17.9), fourth in turnover margin (plus-4.9) and eighth in scoring defense (57.1 points per game), plus they also allow their opponents 0.86 points per possession, which is the best mark in the nation. All-American Jared Sullinger leads the charge for Ohio State with averages of 17.2 ppg and 9.0 rpg. The star sophomore has been excellent all season as he is third in the conference in scoring (17.9) and second in rebounding (8.9). Sullinger has recorded 11 double-doubles this season. Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft, and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. will all need to play their best today against Wisconsin's top-notch defense. This afternoon will be the second time Wisconsin and the Buckeyes face off this season, and the 149th time the programs meet in history. Ohio State leads 83-65 in the all-time series after its 58-52 victory over Wisconsin on Feb. 4th early this month. The Badgers had a terrible 5-of-27 shooting performance from three-point range in the first bout.
Free Pick: Gonna look to the Over in this one. The Badger defense may be tiring a bit down the stretch, especially on the road, where they have allowed 68 ppg in their last 2 road games. Now they face an Ohio State squad that has averaged 75.2 ppg overall and 77.8 ppg at home on the year. I really feel that OSU can get at least 65 in this one. On the other side we have a Badgers squad that has put up 66 and 65 points in their last 2 games, so the offense may be opening up a bit. The Badgers do average just 59.7 ppg on the road and while OSU has allowed just 54.7 ppg at home overall, they have allowed 69.7 ppg in their last 3 games at home. I see the Badgers as having an excellent shot at 60 points in this one. This game should finish at 125 or higher, with both teams scoring in the 60's in this one.
Free Picks: Wisconsin at Ohio State Betting
http://PregameVideos.com - Extra prep time for Ohio State and Home less revenge game for Wisconsin plus other factors college basketball bettors need to know about Wisconsin at Ohio State (SUNDAY, February 26, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Vegas Runner.