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USATSI

The Ohio State Buckeyes will try to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they face the Cincinnati Bearcats on Tuesday evening in the 2022 Maui Invitational. Ohio State had won its first three games of the campaign prior to its 88-77 loss to San Diego State on Monday. Cincinnati was bounced out of the winner's bracket in a 101-93 loss to No. 14 Arizona in the first round. 

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes are favored by 3.5 points in the latest Cincinnati vs. Ohio State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 146. Before entering any Ohio State vs. Cincinnati picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Cincinnati vs. Ohio State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Cincinnati vs. Ohio State:

  • Cincinnati vs. Ohio State spread: Ohio State -3.5
  • Cincinnati vs. Ohio State over/under: 146 points
  • Cincinnati vs. Ohio State money line: Ohio State -170, Cincinnati +145
  • Cincinnati vs. Ohio State picks: See picks here

Why Ohio State can cover

Ohio State opened the season with three straight wins, despite having a lineup that includes four freshmen and three transfers. The Buckeyes are going to continue to improve early in the year as they develop chemistry, especially after facing their first legitimate opponent on Monday. West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil scored 22 points in the loss to San Diego State, with 20 of them coming in the second half. 

McNeil had only scored 19 points in the first three games of the season, so it was a huge improvement for him personally. Star freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh leads Ohio State with 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game after scoring 17 points and grabbing five boards on Monday. McNeil, Zed Key and Justice Sueing are all scoring in double figures as well, giving the Buckeyes a balanced attack. 

Why Cincinnati can cover

Cincinnati is built to play well early in the season, as four of its top five scorers are seniors. The Buckeyes are expected to improve as the season goes along, but the Bearcats have the edge right now. Senior guard Landers Nolley II poured in a career-high 33 points in a thriller against Arizona on Monday, bumping his season average up to a team-best 17.8 points per game. 

Senior guard David DeJulius is averaging 16.4 points and 3.6 assists, while senior guard Jeremiah Davenport is adding 11.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. The Bearcats shot 62.9% from the floor in the second half of Monday's loss, but it was not quite enough to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit. They have some momentum coming into this game against an inexperienced team, though. 

How to make Cincinnati vs. Ohio State picks

The model has simulated Ohio State vs. Cincinnati 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Cincinnati vs. Ohio State? And which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Ohio State vs. Cincinnati spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,400 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.