Ohio State Buckeyes vs Maryland Terrapins Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/05/2026

 

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Thursday, February 5, 2026

Venue:  XFINITY Center, College Park, MD

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Ohio State -6.5, Maryland +6.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Ohio State -6.5, Maryland +6.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Ohio State -6.5, Maryland +6.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

Ohio State Buckeyes:  14-7 (6-5) (9th place, Big Ten)

Maryland Terrapins:  8-13 (1-9) (16th place, Big Ten)

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Ohio State Buckeyes:  3-2  last 5

Maryland Terrapins:  1-4  last 5

Ohio State is entering this game with a 14-7 record overall, a 6-5 record in conference games, and they are 3-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Amare Bynum and Bruce Thornton each led the team in points in that game with 18 while Devin Royal was next on the team with 16. Bruce Thornton and Ivan Njegovan each led the team in assists with 2 in that game while Amare Bynum led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 40.6% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.5 PPG against them. Ohio State has an ATS record of 8-12-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-10.

Maryland is entering this game with an 8-13 record overall, a 1-9 conference record, and they are 5-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Purdue Boilermakers in their last game. Andre Mills led the team in points in that game with 18 while Darius Adams was next on the team with 17. Andre Mills led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Darius Adams and Andre Mills each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 38.8% from the field, 35.3% from 3-point range, and 76% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 79.7 PPG against them. Maryland has an ATS record of 8-13 this season and their O/U record is 14-7.

The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 6.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State has looked good in their games this season with their 14-7 record overall and their 6-5 conference record which has them right in the middle of the Big Ten. They haven't been a great road team though with their 3-4 road record this year. Meanwhile, Maryland has looked terrible in their games this season with their 8-13 record overall and their 1-9 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the Big Ten. They haven't looked that great on their home court either with their 5-5 home record this season. Maryland has been a disaster all season as they are one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. They were a tournament team last year and then lost their head coach and so far, Buzz Williams hasn't done a great job taking over. They are 1-4 in their last 5 games and they have lost 3 games in a row now too. They are off a bad loss to Purdue in their last one and they have been getting blown out in their conference games all season. Ohio State isn't an elite team in the Big Ten this season, but they are a lot better than they were last season and they have the talent to be a tournament team this year. They are off a big loss to Wisconsin in their last one, but that isn't a bad loss for them on the road with the talent Wisconsin has. Ohio State will be looking to bounce back here and they haven't looked bad lately, going 3-2 in their last 5 games. Look for Ohio State to bounce back against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten and win this game convincingly. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game. 

Ohio State Maryland Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, February 5, 2026 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 82 Maryland 68.

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Ohio State Buckeyes: 11-2 ATS versus poor defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 45% or more. 5-1 ATS when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 20% to 40%). 6-3 ATS versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game. 35-24 OVER as a favorite.

Maryland Terrapins: 1-5 ATS as a home underdog or pick. 19-26 ATS after playing a home game. 20-28 ATS vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more. 28-19 OVER vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more.

Ohio State Buckeyes:  B. Noel (F) Questionable - Foot. M. Herro (G) Out - Redshirt. J. Ojianwuna (F) Questionable - Knee.

Maryland Terrapins:  L. Sotell (G) Questionable - Undisclosed. P. Payne (F-C) Questionable - Leg. R. Passmore (G) Out - Achilles.

"You’ve got a young man in Anthony Thompson who really is doing something that hasn’t been done in this program for a significant amount of time. A five-star, top-10 player to come into our program, it’s great for the future of Ohio State basketball." - Jake Diebler on Anthony Thompson being named to McDonald’s All-American game.

"We've tried to revamp a lot of different things this week. I think any team that plays three top-15 teams in the NET, are probably up against it, but that's the good thing about this league." - Buzz Williams after his team’s loss against Purdue in their last game. 

A. Bynum 

J. Mobley 

D. Royal 

B. Thornton 

C. Tilly

D. Adams 

D. Coit 

A. Mills 

P. Payne 

E. Saunders

PPG: Bruce Thornton (19.5)

APG: Bruce Thornton (3.6)

Reb/G: Devin Royal (5.7)

PPG: Pharrel Payne (17.5)

APG: David Coit (2.8)

Reb/G: Solomon Washington (8.8)

Coaches:

Ohio State Buckeyes: Jake Diebler (3rd season)

Maryland Terrapins: Buzz Williams (1st season)