The Ohio State Buckeyes and E.J. Liddell have had a fantastic year and despite their loss in the Big Ten title game, they are entering the NCAA Tournament on a wave of momentum. However, they could have a quick scare from the Summit League Champions, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and Max Abmas.
Free Picks: Oral Roberts looks to stun Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, NCAAB, Mackey Arena
The Golden Eagles Aerial Attack
The Golden Eagles ousted South Dakota State and North Dakota State en route to their tournament bid. Their success largely came from their two-headed monster of Max Abmas and Kevin Obnar. Abmas and Obnar are averaging 42.4PPG/12.7RPG/4.9APG combined, both are shooting absurd percentages from the floor and this offense is electric. As a team ORU has a 45.4% field goal percentage, they shoot a blistering 38.8% from deep and are steady at the line shooting 82.4%.
The Eagles average 81.8PPG and play at a blistering pace, they will fill it up against OSU, as Ohio State’s defense has started to show cracks over the last 9 games. They have allowed 78PPG during this stretch, fortunately for the Buckeyes, their offense has been keeping pace at 77PPG during the same stretch. Therefore, with the NCAAB Odds setting the over at 157, I think it is reasonable to assume this game reaches at least 160 if not 170 points with two tremendous offenses on the floor. One of my free NCAAB picks is over 157. (1.85 at 888Sport)
Part of the reason why ORU will be able to put up points during this game is that 45.9% of their field goal attempts come from deep. Riding the three is proven and has worked against top-tier competitors for ORU. Against teams in the NCAA Tournament, ORU went 4-1 ATS with all those games taking place on the road. This team does not mess around when the lights are bright, and while the Eagles may not shock the world, they will put pressure on the Buckeyes. Therefore, my best bet for Friday’s Round of 64 for March Madness is Oral Roberts +16, take the points and look for ORU to keep this game around an 8-12 point margin of victory.
Stats
- The Over has cashed in 16 of Oral Roberts’ 23 games this season
- Oral Roberts is 7-3-0 ATS in their last 10 games
- The Over has cashed in 17 of Ohio State’s 29 games this season
- Ohio State is 6-4-0 ATS in their last 10 games
Tags:
More College Basketball Free Picks
see more
Free Picks: The Game March Madness Deserves
The game college basketball wanted all season has finally came to fruition, will Gonzaga walk away perfect or will Baylor play spoiler?
Free Picks: New Blood Versus Blue Blood
Mark Few and Gonzaga have the chance to put their Final Four demons behind them with a win over the upset-happy UCLA Bruins and Mick Cronin.
Free Picks: Baylor Bears vs Houston Cougars
Baylor and Houston, separated by three hours of highway from central to southeast Texas, face each other in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 3 (time to be determined) for a spot in the national championship game.
Free Picks: UCLA Bruins vs Michigan Wolverines
UCLA has, somewhat luckily, played its way through four NCAA tournament wins and into a regional final matchup with top-ranked Michigan on Tuesday, March 30 at 9:57 p.m. ET.
By:Josh Saslove
Josh Saslove here, I am a passionate sports fan and have been consumed by sports for as long as I can remember. I have been a sports bettor for the past 4 years, starting out with betting on college basketball parlays. I currently write pieces for BetPicks, but have my own blog space. I am an avid fan of the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Raptors, Kansas City Chiefs and Toronto Blue Jays, so I know what it's like to cheer for the underdog. The 2017 ECF run by the Ottawa Senators and the Raptors 2019 NBA title are probably my fondest memories as a fan, as well of course the Chiefs Super Bowl win in 2020. I am also a big music fan and have been called Mac Miller by strangers on several occasions.
- betpicks.ca
- Free Picks
- College Basketball Free Picks
- Free Picks: Oral Roberts looks to stun Ohio State