Ohio State Buckeyes vs Oregon Ducks Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Oregon Ducks

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, OR

TV: ESPN+

Matthew Knight Arena is the location where the Oregon Ducks (8-7) will compete against the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-4) on Thursday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes played Nebraska and went home with a loss by a final score of 72-69 in their last contest. Ohio State finished the game with a 45.6% field goal percentage (26 of 57) and buried 9 of their 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Buckeyes made 8 of 13 tries for a rate of 61.5%. Pertaining to getting rebounds, they earned 28 with 3 of them being offensive. They also doled out 13 dimes in the game in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Concerning defense, Ohio State allowed the other team to shoot 43.9% from the field on 25 of 57 shooting. Nebraska dished out 12 dimes and had 5 steals for this contest. Additionally, Nebraska pulled down 35 boards (8 offensive, 27 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Nebraska walked away from this one shooting 82.4% from the charity stripe by making 14 of 17 tries. They made 8 of 29 tries from 3-point range. When talking about fouls, the Buckeyes walked away with 14 while Nebraska recorded 12 fouls.

John Mobley Jr. is one player who was a factor for the game. He ended up scoring 22 points on 8 of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 36 mins and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 47.1% from the field and earned 1 assist.

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Ohio State steps onto the court with a mark of 10-4 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.9 times per contest and as a group are committing 17.3 fouls every game. As a team, Ohio State is grabbing 36.1 boards per game and has totaled 235 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 120th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Buckeyes are hitting 34.3% on shots from distance (112 of 327) and 78.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 84.6 pts per contest (61st in college) while going 50.6% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Buckeyes are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 fouls. They are ranked 81st in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 180 conceded this season. The Buckeyes defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.0% (355 of 846) and they surrender 31.7 rebounds per game as a team. They are surrendering 29.8% on three-point shots and they are 150th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (72.0).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Oregon Ducks took a loss by a score of 88-85 when they faced Rutgers. The Ducks were able to corral 27 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 for the game. They also turned it over 17 times, while earning 5 steals for the contest. Rutgers committed 18 personal fouls in this game which took the Ducks to the charity stripe for 16 shots. They were able to convert 12 of them for a clip of 75.0%. In relation to shooting from 3-point land, Oregon made 13 of 32 attempts (40.6%). Overall, the Ducks finished shooting 30 for 66 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.5%. The Ducks permitted Rutgers to bury 26 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which had them at 43.3% for the contest. They finished the game shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 out of 18 and ended up shooting 30 out of 34 at the free throw line (88.2%). In regard to how they attacked the glass, Oregon allowed Rutgers to get 30 in total (9 offensive).

Nathan Bittle ended up having an impact for the Ducks in this contest. He earned 28 points in his 30 minutes of playing time and accounted for 2 dimes for the contest. He converted 11 out of 21 for this game for a field goal percentage of 52.4%, and earned 8 rebounds.

Oregon has a win-loss record of 8-7 this season. When it comes to offense, the Ducks are shooting 44.0% from the field, which ranks them 260th in D-1. Oregon has tallied 1,165 pts for the year (77.7 per contest) and they pull in 39.0 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per game (113th in college) and they are giving up possession 13.0 times per contest. The Ducks are responsible for committing 16.1 fouls every game while shooting 71.3% from the free throw line.

The Ducks are ranked 183rd in college in PPG given up with 73.3. They have forced 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.3% from the field (119th in college hoops). The Oregon defense allows 31.7% on shots from beyond the arc (113 of 357) and their opponents are knocking down 78.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 12.2 assists and 33.3 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 90th and 109th in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State

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