The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes held off the No. 12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 81-73, on Thursday, March 15, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64. Ohio State led for most of the game, but the Jackrabbits knotted it down the stretch, only for the Buckeyes to pull away in the final minute. Ohio State failed to cover the 8.5-point spread, and the game went over the total of 147.
2017-18 Big Ten Coach of the Year Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes will move on to face Gonzaga — which squeaked out a win against UNCG Thursday — in the Round of 32. Odds for that matchup will soon be released by BetDSI Sportsbook. We anticipate the line will be very narrow, and the No. 5 seed Buckeyes may even be slight favorites against No. 4 Gonzaga.
Big Ten Player of the Year Keita Bates-Diop scored 24 points on 7-for-19 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. He went 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Ohio State had 10 steals to SDSU’s three, and the Buckeyes won the rebound battle, 47-39.
Ohio State’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament were moderate, with BetDSI pegging the Buckeyes at +7500 odds to cut down the nets in San Antonio. SDSU had very slim odds at +75000, 10 times the odds of Ohio State.
Here are the pre-tourney odds for every team:
Odds to Win 2018 NCAA Tournament
Villanova +400
Duke +550
Virginia +600
Michigan State +750
Michigan +1000
Purdue +1250
Arizona +1300
Kansas +1700
North Carolina +2000
Xavier +2200
Kentucky +2300
Cincinnati +2500
Gonzaga +2500
West Virginia +3500
Wichita State +4000
Texas Tech +4500
Tennessee +4500
Auburn +6000
Ohio State +7500
Rhode Island +10000
Missouri +10000
Florida +12000
Texas A&M +15000
Clemson +15000
Houston +15000
TCU +17000
Virginia Tech +17000
Alabama +20000
Seton Hall +20000
Butler +20000
NC State +21000
Arkansas +22000
Miami +22000
Nevada +25000
Providence +25000
UCLA +25000
Texas +28000
Creighton +28000
Florida State +28000
Kansas State +30000
Oklahoma +30000
Arizona State +35000
Syracuse +35000
New Mexico State +50000
Davidson +50000
St. Bonaventure +50000
Pennsylvania +55000
Loyola Chicago +60000
San Diego State +65000
Montana +75000
Wright State +75000
Stephen F. Austin +75000
South Dakota State +75000
Buffalo +100000
Texas Southern +100000
Radford +100000
Iona +100000
UMBC +100000
LIU Brooklyn +100000
NC Central +100000
UNC Greensboro +100000
Lipscomb +100000
CS Fullerton +100000
Bucknell +100000
Georgia State +100000
Murray State +100000
Marshall +100000
College of Charleston +100000
