Iowa vs Ohio State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 9 Big Ten Tournament (Back a High-Scoring Game in Chicago)

Iowa vs Ohio State Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Big Ten Tournament Game
• Iowa (19-12, 11-9 Big Ten) vs. Ohio State (14-18, 5-15 Big Ten)
• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 2:30 PM ET
• Venue: United Center -- Chicago, Illinois
• Coverage: BTN

The Big Ten Tournament continues on Thursday with a thrilling matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa is attempting to become the first back-to-back Big Ten champion since Michigan in 2017-18. The winner of this second round matchup will then play Michigan State.

Ohio State enters as a victor in three of its last four games following a 65-57 win over Wisconsin in the first round on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Iowa has dropped three of its last five games thanks to an 81-77 loss to Nebraska on Sunday. Which Big Ten team will keep their conference title hopes alive?

Iowa vs Ohio State Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: IOWA: (-210) | OHIOST: (+172)
• Spread: IOWA: -4.5 (-114) | OHIOST: +4.5 (-106)
• Total: 153.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

Iowa enters this contest as a small favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 2:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 153.5 points, which is above average compared to Thursday's projected totals.

Iowa vs Ohio State Betting Trends

• Against the spread, Iowa is 17-14-0 this year.
• The Hawkeyes' ATS record as 2.5-point favorites or more is 12-9.
• Out of 31 Iowa's games so far this year, 18 have gone over the total.
• Ohio State has 12 wins in 32 games against the spread this year.
• As a 2.5-point underdog or greater, the Buckeyes have two wins ATS (2-9).
• Ohio State has seen 16 of its 32 games go over the point total.

Iowa vs Ohio State Prediction & Pick

Ohio State is playing for its life right now as their current resume is not one of a team worthy of an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes know that a Big Ten title is necessary to secure a spot in March Madness. That was clear when they built an great 27-point lead against Wisconsin.

Head coach Chris Holtmann's squad has a great chance to keep its run going with another upset win on Thursday. Ohio State is shooting 49.3% over its last three games and now gets to face an Iowa team that ranks 248th in defensive efficiency and tied for 276th in opponent points per game (74.5).

Going against momentum is a bad idea in conference tournaments, so give me the Buckeyes here.

Final Score Prediction: Iowa: 77 | Ohio State: 81

Iowa vs Ohio State Best Bet

This game has shootout written all over it. Ohio State and Iowa have faced off twice this season and each showdown resulted in at least 167 total points put on the scoreboard. It's worth mentioning that the total has hit the over in five of the last seven games between the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes as well.

The over has also cashed in eight of Iowa's last 11 games overall and in five of Ohio State's last six games played away from home on a Thursday. Efficient scorers can be found up and down these two rosters. Kris Murray, Brice Sensabaugh, Bruce Thornton and Tony Perkins are just a few of them.

Bet: Over 153.5 Points (-115)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.