The Ohio State Buckeyes (15-12) travel to face off against the UCLA Bruins (19-8) on Sunday, February 23rd. This game will be played at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles and televised on CBS. Both Ohio State and UCLA will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:45 ET.

Ohio State Buckeyes vs UCLA Bruins

The Buckeyes Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Ohio State Buckeyes Recent Game/Games

Ohio State’s season took another hit with a 70-49 loss to Northwestern on Thursday, dropping their record to 15-12. Playing at home, the Buckeyes were -9.5 favorites but failed to cover the spread. The game’s total points (119) fell short of the 142.5 O/U line.

After trailing 31-24 at halftime, Ohio State’s struggles continued as they were outscored 39-25 in the second half.

The Bruins Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

UCLA Bruins Recent Game/Games

The Bruins fell to 19-8 on the season after a 64-61 home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. UCLA, who were -11.5 favorites, not only lost the game but also failed to cover the spread. The combined points of 125 fell short of the O/U line of 131.5.

UCLA led 34-23 at halftime but struggled in the 2nd half, scoring just 27 points while allowing 41 to the Golden Gophers.

Buckeyes Offense Breakdown

Ohio State struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 49 points while shooting 32.7% from the field. Their three-point shooting was particularly poor, hitting only 4 of 21 attempts for 19%.

Nick Martinelli led the Buckeyes with 18 points, despite missing all 3 of his three-point attempts. Bruce Thornton and Ty Berry both shot 50% from the field, though neither connected from beyond the arc.

Bruins Offense Breakdown

In their last game, UCLA put up 61 points, shooting 45.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 51%. They connected on 40% of their threes, going 6-for-15, while hitting 47.2% of their two-point attempts. Their free-throw shooting was a struggle, as they made just 9 of 19, for 47.4%.

Dawson Garcia led the way with 32 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 60% overall and 50% from three. Mike Mitchell Jr. added 14 points, hitting 4 threes at a 40% clip, and Sebastian Mack contributed 13 points, making 50% of his shots.

Buckeyes Team Defense

Ohio State’s defense was solid, holding their opponent to just 70 points on 32% shooting from the field. They limited two-point opportunities, with the other team making only 13 of 31 attempts, a 41% success rate.

From beyond the arc, Ohio State’s defense was even more effective, as the opposing team shot just 19%, hitting only 4 of 21 three-point attempts. Ohio State also sent them to the line 13 times, where they made 11 free throws.

Bruins Team Defense

Ohio State’s defense was strong, holding their opponent to just 70 points on 32% shooting from the field. They limited two-point shots to 41% with a 13/31 performance.

From beyond the arc, Ohio State’s defense was even more effective, as they allowed just 4 made threes on 21 attempts, a 19% shooting rate. The opponent made 11 of 13 free throws, shooting 84% from the line. Ohio State also gave up 10 offensive rebounds.

Buckeyes vs Bruins Trends

• Across the Buckeyes last ten road games, the team averaged 72 points per game while allowing 77. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 4-6, while going 4-6 straight-up.
• Across their last three home contests, UCLA has been good against the spread posting a mark of 3-0. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 77 points per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last three games as the underdog, the Buckeyes have a straight up record of 1-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 1-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Bruins have an ATS record of 3-2 in their last five games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 4-1.

Buckeyes vs Bruins Prediction

In this Bruins vs. Bruins matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Bruins at -6.5. While we project the Bruins to win 74-72, our recommendation is to bet on the Buckeyes for the point-spread.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 140.5, and our model projects the Buckeyes and Bruins to reach a combined total of 146 points. Our bet is on taking the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.