Ohio State Buckeyes vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 1/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Friday, January 2, 2026

Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, NJ

TV: ESPN+

Jersey Mike’s Arena is the location where the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-6) will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (9-3) on Friday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes played Grambling and notched a win by a score of 89-63 in their last game. Ohio State finished the game having earned a 62.0% FG percentage (31 out of 50) and made 6 out of their 18 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Buckeyes knocked down 21 of 25 tries for a rate of 84.0%. Regarding hauling in rebounds, they compiled 27 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 assists in this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Pertaining to defending, Ohio State allowed the other team to go 38.5% from the field on 20 out of 52 shooting. Grambling totaled 8 dimes and had 9 steals for this game. In addition, Grambling pulled down 18 rebounds (7 offensive, 11 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Grambling finished the contest at 73.9% at the free throw line by making 17 of 23 attempts. They made 6 out of their 21 tries from downtown. In regard to fouls, the Buckeyes ended up with 18 and Grambling had 20 fouls.

John Mobley Jr. is someone who was a contributor for this game. He ended up shooting 60.0% from the floor and recorded 4 assists. He saw the court for 30 mins played and also collected 1 board. He ended up with 20 points on 6 out of 10 shooting.

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Ohio State enters this game with a mark of 9-3 on the year. They average 86.3 pts per contest (53rd in D-1) while shooting 50.9% from the field. The Buckeyes are hitting 33.7% on shots from distance (96 of 285) and 78.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Ohio State is snagging 36.9 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 207 dimes this year, which ranks 102nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 11.0 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.8 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Buckeyes are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game while drawing 21.1 personal fouls. They are ranked 103rd in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 154 conceded for the year. The Buckeyes defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 41.8% (303 of 725) and they concede 31.3 boards per game as a squad. They are surrendering 30.2% from beyond the arc while they are 153rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (71.9).

The last time they took the court, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights walked away with a victory by a final of 70-69 when they played Penn. In regard to team rebounding, Rutgers allowed Penn to collect 38 in all (9 on the offensive glass). They finished 23.8% from beyond the arc by connecting on 5 out of 21 and ended up going 18 of 25 from the charity stripe (72.0%). The Scarlet Knights permitted Penn to bury 23 out of their 54 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 42.6% in this contest. When all was said and done, the Scarlet Knights finished 23 for 56 from the field which had them shooting 41.1%. With respect to 3-pointers, Rutgers knocked down 3 of 20 attempts (15.0%). They were able to bury 21 of them for a rate of 67.7%. Penn committed 24 fouls for this contest which got the Scarlet Knights to the charity stripe for 31 tries. They also coughed it up 6 times, while earning 8 steals in the game. The Scarlet Knights corralled 20 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 26 for the matchup.

Tariq Francis was important for the Scarlet Knights in this contest. He made 9 out of 14 for the contest for a field goal rate of 64.3%, and totaled 1 rebound. He recorded 34 points in his 28 mins on the court, but didn't record an assist.

Rutgers has a win-loss record of 6-6 on the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Scarlet Knights are shooting 41.2% from the field, which has them ranked 337th in the nation. Rutgers has tallied 828 points for the year (69.0 per contest) and they pull in 35.1 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 10.8 times per contest (351st in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 11.6 times per contest. The Scarlet Knights are responsible for committing 16.3 fouls per game and they hit 69.5% from the charity stripe.

The Scarlet Knights on the defensive side of the court are 176th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 72.8. They are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the field (240th in Division 1). The Rutgers defense gives up 36.1% on shots from beyond the arc (97 of 269) and their opponents are making 72.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 14.6 dimes and 36.3 total boards per game, which is ranked 263rd and 266th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State

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