Michigan State Spartans vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Odds, Analysis, Betting Preview

For the second consecutive Tuesday, the Ohio State Buckeyes (18-10) host a Big Ten school from Michigan with the opportunity to enhance their NCAA tournament resume in a nationally televised matchup.

The big difference this time around, though, is the Buckeyes are consensus six-point home underdogs against the sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans (22-5) at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. Last week, Ohio State beat Michigan 76-66 in a pick 'em game.

Surprisingly, the Buckeyes have earned one more conference victory than the Spartans, and the schools close out the regular season with a rematch in East Lansing on March 5.

Michigan State is already a lock to make the Big Dance but likely needs to win out in order to be in the discussion for a No. 1 seed. The Spartans have covered the spread in each of their last seven games, going 6-1 straight up during that stretch, with the lone loss coming to the Purdue Boilermakers 82-81 as 2.5-point road dogs on February 9.

Before this positive run, they had lost three in a row both straight up and against the spread, including two at home.

Meanwhile, Ohio State is riding a four-game winning streak, following up the home win over the Wolverines with a 65-62 road victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in overtime as two-point dogs on Saturday. The Buckeyes covered three of the four games after losing two straight SU and ATS to the Maryland Terrapins and Wisconsin Badgers.

Freshman guard JaQuan Lyle stepped up for Ohio State at Nebraska, scoring all 19 of his points in the second half and OT. Lyle has averaged 15.6 points in his last four games after scoring nine or less in the previous five, with the Buckeyes losing three times.

Michigan State has won three of the past four meetings with Ohio State, covering the last three, including a 76-67 win as a 1.5-point favorite in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament last year.

However, the Spartans have lost in their previous two trips to Columbus, going 1-1 ATS, according to the Odds Shark college basketball database, with the Buckeyes winning the last two by a combined 10 points.