Indiana at Ohio State Preview, Odds & Betting Tips

The final regular season game between Indiana and Ohio State will have an impact on the NCAA Tournament with both teams currently on the bubble. IU is on the verge of popping their bubble, if they haven’t already, with four straight losses heading into the final week of the regular season.

The Buckeyes didn’t help themselves, dropping 2 straight and 3 of 4 before taking out Purdue 82-74 on Sunday. It was just their second win in 9 games against a ranked opponent with both of them coming at home, where they are 13-3 this season.

Indiana at Ohio State Preview

The only matchup of the season between the Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes takes place on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Value City Arena in Columbus, OH. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. ET with television coverage provided by FOX.

Public Betting Odds Factors

• This certainly isn’t how Indiana wanted to close the season. They enter the final week with 17 overall wins but are just 5-9 with two 4-game losing streaks since Jan. 10. The Hoosiers have been a disaster at the betting window, too, losing 4 straight and 6 of 7 against the college basketball spread.

• A factor in IU’s most recent skid is its lack of offense. Over those 4 games the Hoosiers failed to score more than 68 points in a game and averaged just 61.8 points, 17 points below their season average. IU cashed the UNDER in 3 of the 4 games.

• You can’t blame the Big Ten’s second leading scorer Lamar Wilkerson for the scoring woes. Wilkerson scored 29 points in Sunday’s loss to Michigan State and averaged more points over the 4 games than his season average of 21.3.

• OSU revived their at-large NCAA Tournament hopes with a crucial win over No. 8 Purdue on Sunday, ending a 2-game skid and a stretch of 3 losses in 4 games. Though they are just 2-3 SU in their last 5 games the Buckeyes have earned the cash in 4 of those outings.

• The backcourt of Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. has been among the best in the Big Ten this season. And they will have a say in whether or not the Buckeyes go dancing. They were instrumental in the upset of Purdue scoring 41 points on 58.3 percent shooting between them.

• The Buckeyes need some marquee wins to bolster their resume and beating Purdue 82-74 qualifies. Unfortunately they don’t have a lot of those type wins, though their 2 victories over ranked teams have come recently. OSU beat No. 24 Wisconsin on Feb. 17 ending a 7-game skid against ranked opponents.

Indiana at Ohio State Predictions

• The game could go either way but there’s a better than good chance two of the Big Ten’s top scorers get involved. IU’s Lamar Wilkerson is second in the conference averaging 21.3 points and has carried the load during a stretch where the offense has stumbled. In 10 games since scoring a season-low 8 points against Michigan on Jan. 20, Wilkerson is averaging 25.7 points scoring at least 20 points 8 times.

• Though not as flamboyant, OSU’s Bruce Thornton is just as dangerous. The league’s 5th leading scorer is averaging 23 points scoring at least 20 points 5 times in his last 6 games. He is also one of the Big Ten’s best shooters making 54.5 percent of his field goals.

Indiana at Ohio State Betting Tips

• IU enters the final week of regular season action on a 4-game losing streak and with setbacks in 5 of their last 7 games. The Hoosiers are 1-6 against the college basketball betting line in that span.

• The Hoosiers have also dropped their last 3 road games by an average of nearly 20 points going 0-3 ATS.

• OSU beat Purdue outright as a 6.5-point home dog for their 4th payout in 5 games. They’ve also cashed the UNDER in 6 of 8 games.

Indiana at Ohio State Head to Head and Key Stats

• Indiana has won the last 5 meetings going 5-0 ATS, but OSU is in a good spot to end that losing streak.

• OSU’s last 3 series wins have all come at home where they covered the spread each time.

• The teams have played OVER the closing total in 5 of the last 8 matchups, including the last 4 in Columbus.