College Basketball: Ohio State vs Maine preview, how to watch, odds, more

The Ohio State Buckeyes look to get back to winning ways against Maine this evening and go into the matchup as 24-point favorites.

Ohio State Buckeyes (7-3) vs Maine (6-5)

Game Details

• Location: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
• Time: Wednesday, December 17th at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Channel: CBS

Betting odds

Ohio State -24 | Maine +24

Points Total O/U: 139

Matchup

Ohio State was previously riding a winning streak before falling short against the UNC Tar Heels. If the 24-point underdog Black Bears are going to win this game, they’re going to have to dominate possession. Ohio State gave up 16 turnovers against UNC and are averaging over 12 giveaways per game. Maine, meanwhile, is averaging 10 steals per game. This number could be critical if Maine is to keep pace with an explosive Buckeyes offense.

The Maine Black Bears will have their hands full tonight as the Buckeyes will likely be returning Isaac Likelele to the starting five. Maine will be looking to guys like Kellen Tynes, who has scored 10+ points in each of his last 4 games, to at least give them a chance of keeping up.

Prediction: Buckeyes 84 – 70 Black Bears 

Players to watch:

Sean McNeil | Ohio State

McNeil is a vital cog in this Buckeyes offense, but he could only amass seven points last time out, despite playing 37 minutes. Now, with a much easier opponent on deck, we could see a return to form from McNeil. He put up 22 points against SDSU not too long ago, so we know he’s got that scoring ability in the locker. With the schedule closing out, don’t be surprised to see McNiel put his foot on the gas and drop 15+ points here as he did against Duke a few weeks back.

Kellen Tynes | Maine

As aforementioned, Tynes will be a focal point for Maine’s offense this evening. He’s averaging 14.6 over his last 10 games and leads the team in scoring this season. He also had a three-game streak of 20+ points back in November. A performance like that here would be welcomed by the Black Bears, who have found it difficult to score consistently in the month of December.

For more NCAAB coverage, like this Ohio State and UNC preview, visit amNY Sports.com