Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Betting Preview & Prediction

Pittsburgh Panthers (6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1 SU, 5-1 ATS)

When: Friday, November 29th, 2:30 PM (ET)

Where: Value City Arena, OH, Columbus

TV: PEAC

Point Spread: PITT +3.5/OHIOST -3.5

Total: 147

Money Line: Pittsburgh Panthers +130/-161

Notable Injuries

Panthers

• Damian Dunn (Out) Ankle/Thumb

Buckeyes

• Ques Glover (Questionable) Undisclosed
• Aaron Bradshaw (Out) Undisclosed
• Taison Chatman (Out) Knee

Recent Form

Pittsburgh Panthers Recent Game

Pittsburgh fell to Wisconsin 81-75 on Sunday, November 24th, in an away game. The Panthers, who were -2.5 favorites, not only lost but also failed to cover the spread. The game’s total points reached 156, surpassing the over/under line of 148.

Pittsburgh led 34-27 at halftime but allowed 54 points in the second half while scoring 41. Defensive lapses after the break were a key factor in the loss.

Ohio State cruised to a 102-69 win over Green Bay on Monday, November 25th. The Buckeyes, playing at home, were -25.5 point favorites and covered the spread with the win. The total points for the game reached 171, surpassing the O/U line of 155.5.

After leading 42-32 at halftime, Ohio State’s offense exploded in the 2nd half, scoring 60 points while holding Green Bay to 37 points.

Analysis

Pittsburgh’s offense put up 75 points in their last game, shooting 50% from the field. They were highly effective inside, hitting 67.6% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, going just 5-for-23 (21.7%).

John Tonje led the way with 33 points, shooting 57.9% overall, though he hit just 1-of-5 from three. Cameron Corhen was efficient, making 7-of-8 shots, while Ishmael Leggett added 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Despite Pittsburgh’s defensive efforts, they gave up 81 points, allowing their opponent to shoot 48% from the field. The Panthers struggled to contain shots inside the arc, where the other team converted 60% of their two-point attempts, going 24/40.

From beyond the arc, Pittsburgh held their opponent to 25% shooting, with just 5 made threes on 20 attempts. However, they sent the other team to the free-throw line 22 times, where they hit 18 free throws, an 81% success rate. Pittsburgh also gave up 9 offensive rebounds.

Ohio State’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 102 points with a field goal percentage of 55.9%. They connected on 45.2% of their threes, hitting 14 of 31 attempts, and their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 66.2%.

Anthony Roy led the way with 30 points, knocking down 8 of 12 threes, while Bruce Thornton added 25 points and 9 assists, shooting 5 of 7 from deep. The Buckeyes also dished out 20 assists as a team.

Ohio State’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 69 points while allowing the opposing team to shoot 55% from the field. The Buckeyes had trouble containing two-point shots, with the other team hitting 64% of their attempts inside the arc.

From three-point range, Ohio State’s opponents connected on 14 of 31 attempts, good for 45%. The Buckeyes also sent them to the free-throw line 19 times, where they made 12 shots, shooting 63%. Ohio State allowed 11 offensive rebounds in the game.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Pittsburgh has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 71 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• Ohio State has a 1-2 record in their last three home games. In this stretch, they averaged 72 points per game while allowing 75. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• The last ten games that Pittsburgh was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 5-3-2 while going 4-6 straight up.
• The last ten games that Ohio State was favored, they have an ATS mark of 8-2 while going 9-1 straight up.

Crew’s TotaL Pick

The Under 146.5 stands out as the top play, driven by several compelling statistical mismatches in Ohio State’s favor. Pittsburgh’s 50.2% shooting faces a stiff test against Ohio State’s 34% defensive field goal percentage, while Pitt’s poor offensive rebounding (276th nationally) against OSU’s strong defensive rebounding (27th) severely limits second-chance opportunities, suggesting Pittsburgh will struggle to approach their season average of 84.3 points against a defense allowing just 59.3 points per game.