Indiana vs. Ohio State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Friday, January 17th

Reed Wallach | Jan 17, 2025

Jan 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) calls a play as he brings the ball up the court against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Indiana is off an embarrassing home defeat to Illinois, 94-69, as the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes start to come into question. 

The team hits the road to face Ohio State on Friday night, who has cooled off after a strong start to the season, but is off a strong effort on the road as underdogs to Wisconsin, suffering a close loss. Can the Buckeyes get back in the win column at home against a spiraling Hoosiers team? 

Here’s our betting preview for Friday night’s Big Ten action. 

Indiana vs. Ohio State Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Indiana: +7.5 (-115)
• Ohio State: -7.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Indiana: +240
• Ohio State: -300

Total: 148.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Indiana vs. Ohio State How to Watch

• Date: Friday, January 17th
• Game Time: 8:00 PM EST
• Venue: Value City Arena
• How to Watch (TV): FOX
• Indiana Record: 13-5
• Ohio State Record: 10-7

Indiana vs. Ohio State Key Players to Watch 

Indiana

Oumar Ballo: The Arizona transfer has put up numbers in his first season with the Hoosiers even if his impact may be in question. The 7’0” center is averaging 14 points per game with 10 rebounds while making more than two-thirds of his shots. However, the Hoosiers play has dropped off of late as Ballo struggles to string consistent efforts with foul trouble playing a big role. 

Ohio State

Bruce Thornton: The Buckeyes guard has taken a big leap on offense, averaging a career best 17 points per game while shooting 53% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc to go with more than four assists per game. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to hunt his go-to mid-range jump shot against the slow footed Ballo and the shaky Indiana defense. 

Indiana vs. Ohio State Prediction and Pick

It’s tough to trust Indiana at the moment, losing its last two games by 25 points each as the team hits the road to face a formidable Ohio State team. 

The Buckeyes are a functioning offense that are comfortable operating from the mid-range against an Indiana defense that does a good job of running teams off the three-point line, which can put pressure on the Hoosiers to keep pace. 

However, with the state of the offense, 15th in Big Ten play in effective field goal percentage, it’s going to be tough for IU to stay on track. The team’s best offense is through Ballo on the post as the team is devoid of three-point prowess, but the Buckeyes do a fine job defending the rim, 53rd in near-rim field goal percentage allowed, per Haslametrics. 

Indiana has been a nightmare on the road, ranking 353rd in Haslametrics away from home metric, meaning the team is significantly worse on the road than at home. To that point, Ohio State is 13th in that metric at home, elevating its play in Columbus at one of the highest degrees in the country. 

I’m not trying to catch a bounceback effort from the Hoosiers, instead I’ll back the home favorite. 

PICK: Ohio State -7

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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