UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs Ohio St. Buckeyes – Round 1 – Mid West Region College Hoops Gambling
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Every year, certain teams enter the NCAA Tournament with a special “buzz” around them. This year, Ohio State is one of those teams. The Buckeyes have everything you want entering March Madness – an elite player, a winning streak and a conference championship. The only question is whether all the momentum has created an insurmountable spread at the sportsbook for Friday’s battle with UC Santa Barbara.
UCSB vs Ohio State – Friday, March 19, 9:45 p.m. ET
UCSB +17
OSU -17
Total: 132
It’s no exaggeration to say that Ohio State lives and dies with Evan Turner, who is gaining steam in the league MVP discussions. He’s led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals for two straight seasons and he’s been a man possessed leading up to March Madness.
He closed the Big Ten tournament with two straight 31-point efforts and 10-plus rebounds in both contests. He turns over the ball too much but he’ll be a ton for UC Santa Barbara to handle.
UC Santa Barbara does play solid defense, allowing a respectable 65.7 points per game, so one has to wonder would what happen if the Gauchos kept Turner in check. Does Ohio State have the depth to get secondary contributions? It does – as long as its starters don’t foul out or get hurt, since the Buckeyes don’t use their bench too much.
Four of Ohio State’s five starters shoot 37 per cent or better from three-point range, so they could hurt the Gauchos with daggers from all over the court. 
UC Santa Barbara’s Orlando Johnson is a solid player and, along with James Nunnally, gives the Gauchos the potential to answer Ohio State. But there’s a major concern for them.
Because UCSB struggles so mightily on the boards, getting outrebounded by almost three per game, it’s too dependent on its shooting. If the shots don’t fall, the game could get ugly quickly.
Given the Gauchos’ makeup, I’m not convinced they can beat even the big spread.
Ohio State is rolling and Turner is just so darned hot that he alone could blow the game open at any moment. Go with Ohio State, whether you’re playing a bracket, the moneyline or the spread.
Betting Trends:
Buckeyes are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite
Buckeyes are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 13.0 or greater
Buckeyes are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games
Buckeyes are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a SU win of more than 20 points
Gauchos are 19-40-3 ATS in their last 62 games vs. a team with a winning SU record
Gauchos are 10-22-1 ATS in their last 33 games following a ATS win
Gauchos are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games
Gauchos are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog of 13.0 or greater
Gauchos vs. Buckeyes Free Tournament Pick: Against the spread: Ohio State -17
Straight up: Ohio State
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