College Hoops Picks: Indiana Hoosiers @ Ohio State Buckeyes

The Hoosiers are doing everything they can to salvage their season and get out of the bottom of the Big Ten. Ohio State is in the midst of trying to prove they deserve to be back in the Top 25 and that their early-season wins over Miami (FL), Notre Dame, and Butler weren't flukes.

The history between these two Big Ten rivals should not surprise anyone—since 2002, they have faced off fourteen times, Indiana has the edge with eight wins, and the home team has won eleven times.

But after Indiana's recruiting debacle last season, this is no longer the same type of Indiana team—the Hoosiers are trying to rebuild their image and program, and in the process have their first losing record after fifteen games of the decade.

Enough of the history though, let's look at how the teams stack up this season:

	Indiana	Ohio State
Record:	5-10	11-3
BT Record:	0-3	1-2
PF:	60.9	67.2
PA:	69.9	58.8
FG %	.428	.451
FT %	.643	.685
3P %	.305	.337
RPG	32.6	33.9
SPG	7.3	7.1
TO	18.7	11.9

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, Ohio State beats them in almost every category.

Aside from a losing record, Indiana has been allowing more points then they've been scoring. Ohio State's stats stack up nicely here—they have a winning margin of nine points while Indiana has a losing margin of nine.

Indiana Key Players

Devan Dumes (Junior, Guard)

Dumes sat out last season after transferring from Eastern Michigan, and so far the transition has been a success. As Indiana's top scorer, he is currently averaging 12.8 points per game and is shooting .330 from beyond the arc. The bad news: Dumes only played two minutes in their most recent game (against Illinois), and left with a sprained ankle.

Tom Pritchard (Freshman, Forward)

Pritchard is the only Hoosier to start all 15 games this season, and the freshman forward is averaging 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Ohio State Key Players

Evan Turner (Sophomore, Guard/Forward)

Turner has been the difference maker for the Buckeyes this season—he has stepped up in crucial games (28 points against Notre Dame, 21 points against Minnesota), but it hasn't always been enough. He leads Ohio State in both points and rebounds, with 15.9 and 7.3, respectively.

Jon Diebler (Sophomore, Guard)

Diebler is the only other Buckeye averaging double-digit points with 10.9, and shooting .389 from three-point land. His play has not always been consistent this season—scoring as many as 27 points and as few as 2—so it is a question of who will show up against Indiana.

Prediction

Current Line: Ohio State -17.5

The Hoosiers have been struggling all season, and having their top scorer potentially sidelined is not going to help their cause. Of their 10 losses so far this season, half have been by 18 points or more (and that's with Dumes there for nine of those games).

In their road losses, the Hoosiers have been outscored by an average of 19.8 points.

But more important then that is how each team has done against the spread:

Indiana is 4-5 ATS

Ohio State is 5-5 ATS, but 2-4 ATS when favored.

Dumes is the difference maker for Indiana, and, considering he has not practiced since spraining his ankle, things are not looking good.

Ohio State wins the game and covers.