Bad news for sports bettors: College football’s bowl season has reached its conclusion, minus Monday night’s national championship clash of No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia.
Good news for sports bettors: College basketball’s regular season has made the glorious calendar turn to 2022, meaning the vast majority of remaining games will be conference clashes.
Props.com’s marquee matchup for Thursday features a pair of traditional Big Ten powers from neighboring states. Since 1906, these hallowed programs have accounted for 42 regular-season conference titles.
No. 13 Ohio State at Indiana
Tipoff Time: 7 p.m. EST
Venue: Assembly Hall (Bloomington, IN)
TV: FS1
Ohio State: 9-2 SU/5-6 ATS
Indiana: 10-3 SU/8-5 ATS
Odds: Side & Total
| Sportsbook | Spread | Total |
| BetMGM | Indiana -3.5 (-110) | 138.5 |
| Caesars | Indiana -3.5 (-110) | 139 |
| DraftKings | Indiana -3.5 (-110) | 139 |
| FanDuel | Indiana -3.5 (-110) | 137.5 |
| PointsBet USA | Indiana -3.5 (-110) | 140 |
*Odds updated as of 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5.
Betting Trends
Ohio State
- The Buckeyes are 4-0 ATS coming off an ATS loss
- Ohio State is on a 7-1 ATS run as a road underdog
- The Over is 8-2 in the Buckeyes’ last 10 games
- The Over is 7-1 in the Buckeyes’ last eight as a road underdog.
Indiana
- The Hoosiers have cashed their last four following an ATS loss
- Indiana is on a 6-0 ATS run at home, all as a favorite
- The Under is 13-4 in the Hoosiers’ last 17 games
The Series
- The home team cashed in the last four meetings
- Ohio State is 6-1 SU in its last seven meetings with Indiana
Odds & Ends
— With DraftKings, Ohio State (3-0 Big Ten) has the 14th-best odds to win the NCAA title (+3,500 — tied with Houston). Down the line, Iowa State slots 32nd on the national championship odds board (+8,000), along with Iowa State, Louisville, Virginia Tech, and St. Bonaventure.
— The Over is 5-2 this season when Ohio State faces nationally ranked or power-conference opponents. The two Under games were straight-up victories for the Buckeyes, beating No. 22 Wisconsin 73-55 (total: 134), and upending then-No. 1 Duke 71-66 (total: 147.5).
— Conversely, the Under is 5-1 for Indiana (1-2 Big Ten) against power-conference or ranked programs.
— Dating to last January, the Buckeyes are 7-3 SU against ranked road/neutral-site opponents.
— The Hoosiers are 7-4 SU at home against ranked opponents, dating to March 2019.
— This season, Ohio State and its opponents are averaging 145.2 combined points per game; Indiana and its foes are averaging 137.3 points per outing.
— Player to Watch: Ohio State guard Malaki Branham exploded for 35 points in Sunday’s overtime road victory over Nebraska. Prior to this career-best surge, Branham scored in double figures just once (11 points vs. Penn State). Against the Cornhuskers, the 6-foot-5 freshman went 13-for-19, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. If Branham can replicate this scoring prowess in the coming weeks, it would give the veteran-laden Buckeyes a dynamic Big Three, along with E.J. Liddell (19.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Zed Key (10.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg).
