Ohio State vs. San Diego State: How to watch, odds, predictions from ESPN, KenPom
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in Maui, Hawaii for the 2022 Maui Invitational this week. The Buckeyes take on No. 17-ranked San Diego State on Monday, followed by either Arizona or Cincinnati on Tuesday. The final game will be on Wednesday.
Coincidentally, the last time the Buckeyes faced the Aztecs, it was also in Maui at the 2003 invitational. SDSU won that game 83-61.
Here’s everything to know ahead of the game tonight, including Vegas odds and ESPN/KenPom predictions.
How to watch Ohio State vs. San Diego State
Tip-off: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Channel: ESPN2
Vegas odds
SDSU is a 4-point favorite over Ohio State on Monday, according to VegasInsider. The over-under is set at 140.5 points.
ESPN BPI prediction
Predicted winner: San Diego State
Predicted point differential: .3
Win probability (for SDSU): 51.2%
Matchup quality: 93.9
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances. ESPN’s BPI has Ohio State versus San Diego State ranked as the second-highest-rated game on Monday’s slate in terms of matchup quality.
KenPom prediction
Predicted final score: SDSU 71, Ohio State 68
Win probability (for LSU): 59%
KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Like ESPN, KenPom projects that the Aztecs comes away with a victory over the Buckeyes, but only by a very close margin.
More on Ohio State versus San Diego State
The Buckeyes and Aztecs both enter Monday night’s game with perfect 3-0 records. That means one streak will end tonight, and though every outlet already mentioned in this preview believes it will be Ohio State’s, it’s also expected to be a tight battle.
Ohio State started the season with three victories at home over Robert Morris, Charleston Southern and Eastern Illinois. The defense held each opponent to fewer than 60 points. So far, the Buckeyes’ opponents have shot just 30.2% from the field, which ranks them No. 1 in the Big Ten so far and in the top 10 nationally.
Zed Key posted double-doubles in each of the first three games, making him the third Buckeye in the last 40 years to open a season with three consecutive double-doubles. Meanwhile, freshman Brice Sensabaugh has also put up double-figures in the first three matchups. He scored 17 vs. Robert Morris, 14 vs. Charleston Southern and a game-high 20 vs. Eastern Illinois.
San Diego State tipped off the season with a win over Cal State Fullerton before taking down BYU and then Stanford for the first time in the program’s history. Leading the Aztecs in scoring this season are forward Jaedon LeDee and guard Darrion Trammell, with 16 and 15 points per game, respectively.