Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Ohio State looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 35-29 lead against Indiana.

Ohio State came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.

Who’s Playing

Indiana Hoosiers @ Ohio State Buckeyes

Current Records: Indiana 13-5, Ohio State 10-7

How To Watch

• When: Friday, January 17, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
• Where: Value City Arena — Columbus, Ohio
• TV: FOX
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $15.00

What to Know

Ohio State and Indiana are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. The two teams will face off in a Big Ten battle at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 1-2 during that stretch of close contests.

Last Tuesday, Ohio State didn’t have quite enough to beat Wisconsin and fell 70-68. The close matchup was extra heartbreaking for the Buckeyes, who almost overcame a 17 point deficit.

Bruce Thornton put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 7 for 13 en route to 21 points. He is trending in the right direction considering he’s improved his point production for three straight games.

Indiana has been a dominant force so far, but they’re in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They found themselves the reluctant recipients of a 94-69 punch to the gut against Illinois on Tuesday. That makes it the first time this season the Hoosiers have let down their home crowd.

Oumar Ballo put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 10.1 rebounds per game.

Ohio State has been struggling recently as they’ve lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-7 record this season. As for Indiana, their loss ended a 13-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 13-5.

Keep an eye on the arc in Friday’s game: Ohio State has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.1% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Indiana, though, as they’ve only made 31.4% of their threes this season. Given Ohio State’s sizable advantage in that area, Indiana will need to find a way to close that gap.

Going forward, Ohio State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 7.5 points. There could be an interesting gambling play in this one, as they have done quite well against the spread at home this season while Indiana has struggled against the spread on the road.

Odds

Ohio State is a big 7.5-point favorite against Indiana, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 7.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

The over/under is 148 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Ohio State and Indiana both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.

• Feb 06, 2024 – Indiana 76 vs. Ohio State 73
• Jan 06, 2024 – Indiana 71 vs. Ohio State 65
• Jan 28, 2023 – Indiana 86 vs. Ohio State 70
• Feb 21, 2022 – Ohio State 80 vs. Indiana 69
• Jan 06, 2022 – Indiana 67 vs. Ohio State 51
• Feb 13, 2021 – Ohio State 78 vs. Indiana 59
• Feb 01, 2020 – Ohio State 68 vs. Indiana 59
• Jan 11, 2020 – Indiana 66 vs. Ohio State 54
• Mar 14, 2019 – Ohio State 79 vs. Indiana 75
• Feb 10, 2019 – Ohio State 55 vs. Indiana 52