The No. 19 Texas Longhorns duel with the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV as part of the Hall of Fame Series.
The Longhorns are favored by 3 points on the spread and the moneyline is -156. Also, the total is set at 147.
Here's my Texas vs Ohio State predictions and my college basketball picks for Monday.
Texas vs Ohio State Odds, Spread
| Texas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -110 | 148 -110o / -110u | -145 |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -110 | 148 -110o / -110u | +120 |
- Texas vs Ohio State spread: Texas -2
- Texas vs Ohio State over/under: 148 points
- Texas vs Ohio State moneyline: Texas -135, Ohio State +115
- Texas vs Ohio State best bet: Under 147
My Texas vs Ohio State best bet is on the under, with the best odds currently available at Caesars. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Ohio State vs Texas Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | TNT/truTV |
Texas vs Ohio State is scheduled for a 10 p.m. ET start time, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, on Monday. The game is live on TNT/truTV.
Ohio State vs Texas College Basketball Betting Preview
Rodney Terry is an excellent defensive coach, and the 2024-25 Longhorns could be dominant on that end.
Although he only returns 20% of last year’s minutes, the pieces fit nicely around interior anchor Kadin Shedrick. The former Virginia Cavalier is a lengthy rim protector and rim deterrent who can defend a wide array of sets.
Returning junior Chendall Weaver, Kansas State transfer Arthur Kaluma, Indiana State transfers Jayson Kent and Julian Larry, and rookie five-star phenom Tre Johnson are five lengthy on-ball pests who will work well in Terry’s extended pressure scheme.
Texas can play aggressively on the perimeter and force turnovers, while Shedrick will clean up the mess on the back end. It’s perfect. The Horns could be a legit top-10 defense nationally.
However, it’s easy to see how things fall apart on offense.
Jordan Pope is an excellent point guard who shoots 37% from deep and Johnson should be the real deal offensively, but Shedrick is inconsistent, Kaluma and Mark don’t fit well together (or with Johnson) as ball-dominant scoring threats, and it’s fair to ask if Larry and Kent will see a downtick in efficiency outside of Josh Schertz’s wizard-like offensive system.
Of greater importance, Texas’ shot selection consistently leaves something to be desired. The Longhorns ranked 335th nationally in Rim-and-3 Rate last year, relying heavily on far too many mid-range jumpers.
I have similar concerns surrounding Ohio State.
Head coach Jake Diebler shed the interim tag last year after stringing together a 9-4 stretch to end the season, but he lost over 65% of those minutes in the offseason.
Diebler brought in eight newcomers, including some reasonably highly touted freshmen (four-star Juni Mobley Jr. and three-star Colin White) and four highly productive transfers (South Carolina’s Meechie Johnson Jr., San Diego State’s Micah Parrish, Duke’s Sean Stewart and Kentucky’s Aaron Bradshaw) to surround returning bully-ball point guard Bruce Thornton.
But Diebler forgot to recruit shooting.
Not a single incoming transfer shot over 32% from deep last season. Thornton is a 33% shooter, and he’s more comfortable pulling up in the mid-range and working in ball screens – ball screens that won’t work if opposing defenses are sagging inside and mucking up every action.
Ohio State ranked 317th nationally in Rim-and-3 Rate last season. I expect more of the same with Thornton running the show surrounded by interior-based scorers.
Therefore, this matchup features two mid-range reliant offenses playing on a neutral court, where unders are historically profitable.
Add in the fact that these are two transfer-heavy rosters likely still building cohesion and continuity, and I expect an ugly opening-night contest with plenty of bricked off-the-dribble jumpers.
KenPom projects the game total at 145, so I’m comfortable playing the under 147 available at Caesars.
