Multiple times each week, The Gaming Juice’s resident action seeker, Brad Evans, will attempt to blast the ‘books with his favorite selections on sides, totals, props, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — but that’s up to you.
Sledgehammer Special — Ohio State -2 (-105, DraftKings)
Shown the door. Given the pink slip. Axed.
Dismissed from his duties as Ohio State head coach on Feb. 14 (Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart!), Chris Holtmann apparently was holding dudes back.
Since his exit, the Buckeyes have flourished under interim head coach Jake Diebler. At 5-1 under the new sideline barker, they've greatly improved efficiency marks on both ends and, almost unfathomably, resuscitated their hopes for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
Yes, really.
With a borderline top-65 strength of schedule, No. 55 NET standing, 3-6 Quad 1 record and only one bad Quad 3 loss, Ohio State is still registering a pulse. However, Brutus must defeat Iowa on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament to prevent becoming a Nutella spread. No pressure.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans’ NCAA Tournament projections ]
Offensively, the Buckeyes have come on strong over their past six games. During that stretch, which includes a home victory against powerful Purdue, they tallied an admirable 1.169 points per possession, shooting 54.5% from two and 34.2% from three. Also getting to the line and making opponents pay, they have converted 77.0% on freebies.
Ohio State's improvements aren’t limited to scoring the rock. Defensively, it has displayed far more coalescence. Since Feb. 15, the Buckeyes rank No. 17 nationally in effective field-goal percentage D, giving up a mere 43.9% inside the arc and 30.9% outside of it. Whether Bruce Thornton on the perimeter or Felix Okpara in the post, they’ve consistently challenged shots.
Iowa’s formula is similar to most Fran McCaffery teams, but with a slight, albeit unfortunate, variation.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes can fly high. Their floor spacing, ball movement and to-the-rim cuts are exceptional. As a result, they’ve netted 1.225 points per possession over their last 10 games, shooting over 53% from two. Unlike previous iterations, though, the triples haven’t steadily fallen. On the season, only 19.5% of Iowa’s points have come from distance. Hey Caitlin Clark, a little help, please.
The Hawkeyes squeaked past Ohio State 79-77 in their only regular-season meeting on Feb. 2 in Iowa City. That, however, was registered before the OSU turnaround.
Seismologists fear a Mount Fran eruption is imminent. Why? In the second act, the Buckeyes are likely to make backers money in Minneapolis.
Season record: 15-14, +1.58 units
BONUS TIME — Texas A&M -4.5 vs. Ole Miss (-110, MGM)