Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan State Spartans Prediction, 2/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan State Spartans

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Location: Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Michigan State Spartans (21-5) will play the Ohio State Buckeyes (17-9) at Breslin Center on Sunday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes stepped onto the hardwood against Wisconsin and earned the victory with a final of 86-69 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Buckeyes ended up with 16 while Wisconsin accounted for 19 fouls. They made 7 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc. Wisconsin went 50.0% at the free throw line by converting 8 of 16 attempts. On top of that, Wisconsin had 27 rebounds (10 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Wisconsin dished out 13 dimes and had 4 steals in this contest. With respect to defense, Ohio State allowed their opponent to shoot 45.8% from the field on 27 of 59 shooting. They also doled out 16 assists for this contest as well as creating 11 turnovers and having 3 steals. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 33 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Buckeyes converted 13 of 19 tries for a percentage of 68.4%. Ohio State finished the contest having earned a 54.4% FG percentage (31 out of 57) and converted 11 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land.

Bruce Thornton is one player who was a factor in this matchup. He ended up scoring 27 points on 9 of 18 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and collected 9 boards. He finished 50.0% from the field and recorded 8 assists.

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Ohio State heads into this game with a record of 17-9 this season. They lose possession via turnover 10.7 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Ohio State is pulling down 34.7 rebounds per contest and has tallied 385 dimes this season, which ranks 153rd in college in terms of passing the rock. The Buckeyes are shooting 34.9% on three-point attempts (206 of 590) and 78.3% from the free throw line. They average 81.2 points per contest (74th in the country) while shooting 49.0% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Buckeyes are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.2 fouls. They currently rank 130th in D-1 in giving up assists with 340 surrendered this year. The Buckeyes are allowing a shooting percentage of 43.2% (665 of 1,539) and they surrender 32.2 boards per contest as a squad. They give up 30.9% on 3-point attempts while they are 166th in the country in opponents points per game (73.4).

When they last played, the Michigan State Spartans walked away with a victory by a final of 82-59 when they faced UCLA. The Spartans collected 27 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 for the matchup. They also turned it over 13 times, while earning 5 steals for this contest. UCLA had 18 fouls in this contest which got the Spartans to the free throw line for a total of 11 attempts. They were able to knock down 10 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 90.9%. Regarding shots from distance, Michigan State knocked down 14 of 27 attempts (51.9%). When all was said and done, the Spartans finished the game shooting 29 for 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.7%. The Spartans permitted UCLA to make 21 of their 57 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 36.8% in the game. They finished the game shooting 32.0% from distance by going 8 of 25 and finished the contest at 9 of 12 at the charity stripe (75.0%). In the matter of team rebounding, Michigan State permitted UCLA to collect 26 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Coen Carr pitched in for the Spartans in this game. He accumulated 16 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 2 assists for this contest. He made 7 out of 11 for the contest for a rate of 63.6%, and had 3 rebounds.

Michigan State has a win-loss mark of 21-5 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Spartans are shooting 46.8% from the floor, which ranks them 93rd in the nation. Michigan State has accounted for 2,052 points on the season (78.9 per contest) and they collect 41.1 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 18.6 times per contest (10th in college) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per game. The Spartans commit 16.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 75.8% from the free throw line.

The Spartans are ranked 23rd in college hoops in points given up per game with 66.4. They are forcing their opponents into 10.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.6% from the field (17th in the nation). The Michigan State defense surrenders 31.4% on 3-pointers (216 of 687) and their opposition makes 74.6% of their foul shots. They have given up 12.8 dimes and 28.6 total boards per game, which is ranked 133rd and 2nd in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Michigan State

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