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The CBS Sports Classic has provided us with a great non-conference matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 3-6-1 ATS) and the UCLA Bruins (5-3, 3-4-1 ATS) on Saturday afternoon. Ohio State is coming off a road loss to Penn State 83-80, losing outright as 4.5-point underdogs. UCLA is also coming off a tough loss, going down to Villanova 65-56 and failed to cover as 3.5-point dogs. These teams did not meet last season. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 EST from the State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, and can be found nationally on CBS.
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The Ohio State Buckeyes had recently won seven straight games, but lost in their first conference road game to Penn State. The Buckeyes went into the game as 4.5-point road favorites, but gave up 54 points in the second half to lose by three. Ohio State held the lead until the final two minutes before eventually relenting to the Nittany Lions. Ohio State was sloppy with the ball, as they had 16 turnovers while PSU only had eight. The Buckeyes were led by guard Bruce Thornton with 17 points in the loss.
Thornton is the top scoring threat for the Buckeyes, he is a 6'2 guard averaging 18.5 PPG and also leads the team in assists (4.2 per game) and steals (1.6 per game). Thornton has scored 13 or more in his last six games, including dropping 29 on Alabama in a win. Thornton is a strong shooter with 23 made threes on the season, but his teammate Jamison Battle edges him out with 25 made threes. Battl e is a 6'7 forward who transferred in from Minnesota, he averaged 13.8 PPG and is knocking down 41.0% of his threes. Roddy Gayle Jr. is another scorer, the 6'4 sophomore adds 14.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG, he has reached double figures in the past four games. Their best post player is 6'8 senior Zed Key, he adds 10.2 PPG and 6.7 RPG.
Ohio State ranks 27th overall according to KenPom. They are much better offensively where they rank 14th in efficiency, while their defense ranks 76th in efficiency. The Buckeyes do not rush on offense, they rank 285th in the nation in tempo.