One of the headline games on Friday night's college basketball slate takes place in Connecticut, where the No. 4 UConn Huskies welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes for a high-profile non-conference contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford. The Huskies enter as 11.5-point favorites, and the over/under for the game is set at 147.5 points.
UConn has opened the season 3-0 and has so far lived up to its preseason No. 4 national ranking. The signature result of the young campaign came last Friday, when the Huskies defeated defending national champion Michigan 85-77 in a rematch of last season's title game, which UConn lost.
Sophomore guard Braylon Mullins has been the Huskies' leading scorer at 17.7 points per game, a figure boosted by his 23-point performance against Michigan. Senior guard Silas Demary Jr. has filled the stat sheet as well, contributing 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Ohio State arrives at 2-1 after winning back-to-back games, building on a 2024-25 campaign in which the Buckeyes went 21-13 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. Junior guard John Mobley Jr., the team's second-leading scorer a season ago, is off to a strong start with averages of 19.3 points and five assists per game.
The Buckeyes' most recent outing was an 84-74 victory over Marshall on Monday. Their only defeat this season came in the opener against No. 25 BYU, and that game was decided by exactly 11 points. Friday will mark the first meeting between these programs since the 2016-17 season, when Ohio State won 64-60 to level the all-time series at 2-2.
SportsLine's proven computer model has simulated the matchup and leans toward the underdog against the spread, projecting that Ohio State covers the 11.5-point number in 52% of simulations. The case for the Buckeyes rests on their strong early form and the fact that UConn's lone test against a Power Five opponent, Michigan, produced only an eight-point margin.
The model also projects the Over to hit in 60.1% of simulations. UConn is averaging 84.7 points per game while Ohio State is putting up 85.3, a combined scoring pace that sits well above the 147.5 total. Both teams have already proven they can score against Power Five competition, with UConn posting 85 points on Michigan and Ohio State scoring 83 against BYU, and each of those games produced more than 160 total points.
As always, bettors are encouraged to practice responsible gaming regardless of experience level. Leading sportsbooks offer tools such as gaming limits, activity alerts, live chat support and timeout or self-exclusion options, along with contact information for local and national helplines, including 1-800-MY-RESET, which is available by call or text around the clock.
