Penn State Nittany Lions vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 1/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Monday, January 26, 2026

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: FS1

Value City Arena is the site where the Ohio State Buckeyes (13-6) will attempt to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-10) on Monday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions faced Wisconsin and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 98-71 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Nittany Lions ended up walking away with 12 and Wisconsin finished the game with 16 personal fouls. They converted 15 out of their 35 tries from beyond the arc. Wisconsin finished the game at 73.3% when shooting free throws by making 11 of 15 shots. Furthermore, Wisconsin collected 42 boards (14 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Wisconsin recorded 25 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. When talking about defense, Penn State allowed their opponent to shoot 50.7% from the floor on 36 out of 71 shooting. They also doled out 11 assists for this contest while creating 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In relation to rebounding, they compiled 31 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Nittany Lions buried 17 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 73.9%. Penn State ended with a 35.9% field goal percentage (23 out of 64) and made 8 of their 27 shots from beyond the arc.

Josh Reed is one player who was a contributor in the game. He finished shooting 71.4% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 32 minutes played and totaled 6 boards. He ended up scoring 18 points on 5 of 7 shooting.

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Penn State enters this game with a mark of 9-10 on the year. They have an average of 76.5 points per game (187th in Division 1) while shooting 46.6% from the floor. The Nittany Lions are connecting on 32.9% on shots from distance (145 of 441) and 73.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Penn State is snagging 30.7 boards per game and is sitting with 253 assists on the year, which ranks 300th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 9.1 times per contest and as a group they commit 15.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Nittany Lions are able to force 12.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.2 personal fouls. They give up 37.8% on three-point shots and they are ranked 282nd in college in PPG allowed (77.4). The Nittany Lions are allowing a field goal percentage of 48.5% (533 of 1,100) and they relinquish 33.9 rebounds per game as a group. They are 293rd in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 306 relinquished for the year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Ohio State Buckeyes took a loss by a final score of 74-62 when they faced Michigan. Concerning cleaning up the glass, Ohio State permitted Michigan to get 35 in total (12 offensive). They went 21.7% from three-point range by shooting 5 of 23 and ended up shooting 15 out of 25 from the charity stripe (60.0%). The Buckeyes permitted Michigan to make 27 of 52 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 51.9% in the game. In all, the Buckeyes went 24 for 59 from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.7%. Regarding shots from 3-point land, Ohio State converted 8 out of 27 attempts (29.6%). They were able to make 6 of those for a clip of 66.7%. Michigan had 16 personal fouls in the game which got the Buckeyes to the free throw line for 9 tries. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 6 steals in this contest. The Buckeyes snagged 14 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 20 in this matchup.

John Mobley Jr. was important for the Buckeyes for the matchup. He made 9 out of 16 in this game for a field goal rate of 56.3%, and had 1 rebound. He accumulated 22 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and had 2 assists in this contest.

Ohio State has a record of 13-6 for the season. The Buckeyes are committing 17.7 personal fouls per game and they go 78.5% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 15.5 times per contest (101st in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.9 times per contest. Ohio State has earned 1,560 pts on the year (82.1 per contest) and they pull in 36.4 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Buckeyes are connecting on 49.3% from the field, which ranks 28th in college.

The Ohio State defense surrenders 29.6% on shots from 3-point land (138 of 467) and their opponents are making 73.4% of their foul shots. They concede 13.1 assists and 31.5 boards per contest, which is ranked 164th and 41st in college. The Buckeyes on the defensive end are ranked 142nd in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 72.3. They are forcing their opponents into 10.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.1% from the field (93rd in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Ohio State

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