Ohio State vs. Oral Roberts odds, line: 2021 NCAA Tournament picks, first-round predictions from proven model

The No. 15 seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles will try to spring the upset over the No. 2 seed Ohio State Buckeyes when they meet in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Golden Eagles (16-10, 10-5), who are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance, are 2-5 all-time in the tournament. Both of their wins came in 1974 when they went to the Elite 8. The Buckeyes (21-9, 12-8), who have made eight Final Four appearances, have lost in the Round of 32 in each of their past three tournament appearances. Ohio State won the 1960 national championship.

The game from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET. Oral Roberts is averaging 81.8 points per game, while Ohio State averages 77.3. The Buckeyes are 15.5-point favorites in the latest Ohio State vs. Oral Roberts odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 157. Before making any Oral Roberts vs. Ohio State picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned almost $500 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Ohio State vs. Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Oral Roberts vs. Ohio State:

Why Ohio State can cover 

Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann is making his sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, including three straight at Butler from 2015 to 2017. Ohio State has had a lot of tournament success through the years and has posted a 51-28 all-time mark. A big reason for the Buckeyes’ success this season is Justice Sueing. The junior forward is averaging 10.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal per game. He is connecting on 49.5 percent of his field goals, including 37.3 percent of his 3-pointers, and 75.4 percent of his free throws. He is coming off a 22-point performance in the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game loss to Illinois on Sunday.

Senior guard CJ Walker is another option on offense, averaging 9.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game. Walker is nearly perfect at the line, connecting on 75 of 79 free throws for 94.9 percent. He scored 16 points and dished out six assists against Illinois on Sunday, the 16th time this season he has reached double-digit scoring. The 16 points tied a season high, which he achieved twice before in wins over Cleveland State on Dec. 13 and at Notre Dame on Dec. 8.

Why Oral Roberts can cover

The Golden Eagles are led by sophomore guard Max Abmas, one of the nation’s most prolific scorers. Abmas leads NCAA Division 1 in scoring at 24.2 points per game, and is connecting on 48.4 percent of his field goals, including 43.3 percent of his 3-pointers, and 89.9 percent of his free throws. Over the past eight games, he is averaging 29.6 points. For the season, he also averages 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has scored 40 or more points in two games, including a 42-point performance against South Dakota State on Feb. 13.

Also leading Oral Roberts is junior forward Kevin Obanor. His tip-in at the buzzer helped the Golden Eagles defeat South Dakota State 90-88 in the Summit League semifinals. For the season, Obanor is averaging 18.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He is connecting on 50.3 percent of his shots from the floor, including 46.9 percent from 3-point range, and 88.1 percent of his free throws. He scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the league title game win over North Dakota State.

How to make Oral Roberts vs. Ohio State picks

The model is leaning under on the total. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Oral Roberts vs. Ohio State? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.