Free Picks: Oral Roberts looks to stun Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes and E.J. Liddell have had a fantastic year and despite their loss in the Big Ten title game, they are entering the NCAA Tournament on a wave of momentum. However, they could have a quick scare from the Summit League Champions, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and Max Abmas.

The Golden Eagles ousted South Dakota State and North Dakota State en route to their tournament bid. Their success largely came from their two-headed monster of Max Abmas and Kevin Obnar. Abmas and Obnar are averaging 42.4PPG/12.7RPG/4.9APG combined, both are shooting absurd percentages from the floor and this offense is electric. As a team ORU has a 45.4% field goal percentage, they shoot a blistering 38.8% from deep and are steady at the line shooting 82.4%.

The Eagles average 81.8PPG and play at a blistering pace, they will fill it up against OSU, as Ohio State’s defense has started to show cracks over the last 9 games. They have allowed 78PPG during this stretch, fortunately for the Buckeyes, their offense has been keeping pace at 77PPG during the same stretch. Therefore, with the NCAAB Odds setting the over at 157, I think it is reasonable to assume this game reaches at least 160 if not 170 points with two tremendous offenses on the floor. One of my free NCAAB picks is over 157. (1.85 at 888Sport)

Part of the reason why ORU will be able to put up points during this game is that 45.9% of their field goal attempts come from deep. Riding the three is proven and has worked against top-tier competitors for ORU. Against teams in the NCAA Tournament, ORU went 4-1 ATS with all those games taking place on the road. This team does not mess around when the lights are bright, and while the Eagles may not shock the world, they will put pressure on the Buckeyes. Therefore, my best bet for Friday’s Round of 64 for March Madness is Oral Roberts +16, take the points and look for ORU to keep this game around an 8-12 point margin of victory.

• The Over has cashed in 16 of Oral Roberts’ 23 games this season
• Oral Roberts is 7-3-0 ATS in their last 10 games
• The Over has cashed in 17 of Ohio State’s 29 games this season
• Ohio State is 6-4-0 ATS in their last 10 games