Updated January 19, 2026
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (10–8) are set to visit the Ohio State Buckeyes (12–5) on Tuesday in what could be a key turning point in both teams’ Big Ten seasons. Minnesota enters this Big Ten clash looking to snap a three-game losing streak, while Ohio State aims to stay above the .500 mark in the conference standings after a win over UCLA last time out. Before tip-off from Columbus, you can continue reading to get my Minnesota vs Ohio State prediction in college hoops.
Pick: | Minnesota +8.5 ATS PRO |
Confidence: | 2/5 |
Ohio State looks to build on the momentum from an 86-74 home victory against UCLA, where John Mobley Jr. led the scoring with 28 points and Devin Royal added 22 in a decisive effort. The Buckeyes have demonstrated they can score in bunches, averaging 83.3 points per game while shooting 50% from the field this season.
Minnesota has struggled to find consistency, dropping its last three contests and ranking outside the upper tier offensively in the conference. The Gophers have lost games in close fashion for the most part lately, but they have lacked the offensive efficiency Ohio State has displayed, particularly on the road. Minnesota remains without several rotation players due to injury, limiting depth on both ends of the floor.
Both of these teams are within a game of the .500 mark in the Big Ten this season. And with several teams ahead of them in the conference standings this season, games like this one are so important to the postseason hopes on both sides, as conference tournament seeding is on the line in every game for these squads.
Score Projection: Ohio State 78 – Minnesota 74 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Ohio State 77%, Minnesota 23% ATS PRO
Ohio State should be able to get a win on their home floor against a Minnesota team that has been struggling against Big Ten competition of late. But I'm going to take the points with Minnesota as a sizable underdog here. The Golden Gophers have stayed within striking distance of teams like Wisconsin and USC recently and they should keep this game within a couple of possessions as well.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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