Virginia vs Ohio State Spread, Odds & Tips

The ACC and Big Ten collide on Saturday when Virginia and Ohio State take the hardwood in the Nashville Hoops Showdown. The teams take a break from their rigorous conference schedules only to face another worthy opponent.

This matchup doesn’t set up well for Ohio State, which has yet to beat a ranked opponent in 5 tries this season. They’ve split their last 10 games and could use a victory against the 15th ranked team in the country to improve their NCAA Tournament resume.

Virginia vs. Ohio State Preview

On Saturday, February 14, 2026 the Virginia Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes will meet inside Bridgestone Arena in the Nashville Hoops Showdown. Tipoff for the game is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Public Betting Odds Factors

Virginia is on a nice roll following Tuesday’s 61-58 comeback win over Florida State, their 5th in a row and 10th in their last 11 games. The only setback during that stretch was by 5 points to UNC a few weeks ago when the Cavs were favored to win.

The loss to the Heels started a run of 3 straight losses against the NCAA basketball spread. UVA failed to cover against the Seminoles and is just 1-5 ATS over its last 6 games.

In 15 seasons under former coach Tony Bennett the Cavs never averaged more than 71.4 points in a season. Instead they relied on one of the best defenses in the game to win at least 20 games 12 times and a national championship in 2019.

The Cavs still play a relentless style of defense, holding their last 3 opponents to less than 60 points and allowing more than 70 points twice in their last 11 outings. The UNDER has cashed in their last 4 games and 9 times during the current stretch.

Led by Thijs DeRidder, who averages more than 16 points, the Cavs boast a diverse offense with 4 players scoring in double figures. DeRidder had just 9 points against FSU but Jacari White scored 19 off the bench to fuel the victory.

Since winning their first 6 games of the season the Buckeyes have been spinning their wheels. They are 9-8 over their last 17 games and haven’t won more than 2 games in a row. In a crucial game Sunday at home against rival Michigan, OSU never led in an 82-61 loss.

The Buckeyes are 1-3 ATS in their last 4 games and 10-13 ATS overall.

Virginia vs. Ohio State Predictions

On paper this looks like a lock for Virginia with the edge in most key statistical categories and by far the better overall record. But as we all know the games aren’t played on paper. It’s crunch time for the Buckeyes with time running out to make a NCAA Tournament run and I believe they’ll show up.

The Buckeyes could pull off the upset by hitting shots against a stingy UVA defense. As a team OSU shoots nearly 50 percent from the field. Bruce Thornton will be a key. He averages 19.2 points while making 55.1 percent of his field goals.

Virginia vs. Ohio State Betting Tips

Holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting has allowed UVA to boast another strong defense. The Cavs have cashed the UNDER on the college basketball spread in 4 straight games and 11 of their last 14.

OSU has had trouble against the better teams going 0-5 SU against nationally ranked opponents. They do have 2 payouts in those games, losing by a point to UNC in December and staying within the line in a loss to Michigan last month.

4 of UVA’s last 6 games have been decided by 7 points or less with the Cavs going 1-5 ATS in that span.

Virginia vs. Ohio State Head to Head and Key Stats

In a sense this is the ACC/Big Ten showdown featuring just the 2 teams in a neutral setting. The previous 2 meetings were part of the made for TV spectacle with Virginia coming away with close victories each time in 2015 and 2016. The games were decided by a total of 8 points with Ohio State getting payouts.