Grambling Tigers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Picks & Predictions for Tuesday December 23 2025
Use Code PPWC
The Grambling Tigers head to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM ET on BTN. This one sets up as a classic “name brand at home vs. mid-major on the road” matchup: Ohio State is 8-3 and 6-1 at home, while Grambling is 5-6 and 1-6 away, with ESPN’s matchup predictor heavily favouring OSU (97.7%). If you’re building your card for the day, be sure to check out our other free college basketball picks as well.
Game Information
This game tips at Value City Arena in Columbus, with coverage on BTN. The odds you provided list Grambling at +27.5 on the spread and a total sitting around 150.5 (with an alternate number also shown). In other words, the market is pricing in a comfortable Ohio State win, with enough possessions and scoring to push the game into the 140s/150s if both sides do their part.
Grambling Tigers Team Breakdown
Grambling comes in playing its best basketball of the month, riding a two-game win streak after beating Hampton 81-72 and Norfolk State 80-68. The Tigers’ season profile is fairly balanced: they’re scoring 71.5 PPG while allowing 72.3 PPG, and they’re shooting a solid 46% from the floor. They also create extra possessions with activity—8.6 steals per game stands out as the kind of number that can keep an underdog hanging around longer than expected if it turns into a sloppy, turnover-heavy afternoon.
The problem is the venue and the travel profile. Grambling is 1-6 away, and this is a significant step up in athleticism, size, and depth compared to what they’ve faced in their recent wins. If Grambling is going to have any real chance to flirt with a cover, it needs to avoid the “quick burst” runs Ohio State can create when it strings together stops, rebounds, and early-clock offence.
Sign Up Get $30 Premium Picks Credit + Exclusive Offers
Subscribe Now
Grambling Key Player
Antonio Munoz (#15) is the Tigers’ top scorer at 14.1 PPG, and he’s doing it on excellent efficiency (52.5% FG). That efficiency matters here, because Grambling can’t afford empty possessions if it’s trying to withstand OSU’s scoring pressure. Munoz doesn’t necessarily need to erupt for 25, but he does need to be steady—especially if Ohio State’s defence loads up and forces Grambling into tougher shots late in the clock.
Grambling Key Injuries
No Grambling injuries were included in the information you provided.
Ohio State Buckeyes Team Breakdown
Ohio State enters this matchup off a brutal one-point loss to North Carolina (71-70), and that’s the sort of game that often sharpens focus in the next outing—especially at home. The Buckeyes’ numbers show the gap in firepower: they’re scoring 86.0 PPG, shooting 50% from the field, and averaging 17.1 assists. Even though their defensive allowance (72.7 PPG) isn’t elite on paper, the overall profile—efficient shooting plus ball movement—creates the kind of sustained scoring that can bury underdogs in waves.
At home, Ohio State has been reliable (6-1), and the key for a spread this large isn’t just being “better,” it’s being able to separate. The Buckeyes’ offensive efficiency suggests they can do that, because they don’t need to rely on one player going nuclear—they can score through structure, spacing, and pace.
Ohio State Key Player
Bruce Thornton (#2) is the engine, posting 21.3 PPG on a blistering 58.3% FG with 85.2% FT. In a matchup like this, Thornton’s ability to score efficiently is exactly what turns “comfortable win” into “cover potential,” because efficient lead guards punish mistakes and keep the scoreboard moving even when the opponent has a decent stretch.
Ohio State Key Injuries
No Ohio State injuries were included in the information you provided.
Grambling vs Ohio State Pick and Prediction
Ohio State -27.5 (Against the Spread)
A 27.5-point spread is always uncomfortable because you can handicap the matchup correctly and still lose the number to late-game substitution patterns. So this pick really comes down to game script: is Ohio State likely to control the game early enough that the margin becomes self-sustaining?
From the data you provided, there’s a strong argument that it can. Ohio State’s combination of 86.0 PPG and 50% shooting is exactly the sort of profile that creates separation quickly, particularly against a team like Grambling that allows 72.3 PPG and doesn’t rebound at a huge rate (30.8). Meanwhile, Grambling’s road record (1-6) matters because this is the type of environment where even a small dip in shot-making turns into a runout parade the other way. If Ohio State gets out to a 12–15 point lead early, it forces Grambling to speed up and chase points, which tends to widen margins.
The counterargument—why you’d take Grambling +27.5—is that the Tigers can be disruptive (that 8.6 steals number), and if Ohio State plays loose after the UNC loss or empties the bench early, you can get a classic “backdoor cover” where Grambling loses big but not massive. That said, the safer read from the numbers is that Ohio State’s efficiency and home strength put it in position to win by a number in the high 20s if they stay engaged for 30 minutes. Make sure you know about how the fans are looking on prediction markets for Ohio State with the Fliff promo code. The best sportsbooks are the best way to go when you are betting on Grambling. Make sure when you place your Grambling vs Ohio State bet you are using the bet365 bonus code.
ATS Pick: Ohio State -27.5
Total: Under 150.5
Totals in these buy-games can be deceptive. The number is high because Ohio State scores 86.0 PPG, but for an over to cash comfortably, Grambling needs to contribute a meaningful slice of the scoring. Grambling averages 71.5 PPG, which sounds compatible with an over, but that’s the season context—not necessarily what travels cleanly into a road game against a Big Ten team that can pressure the ball and run.
There’s also a “blowout pace” effect that often helps the under: if Ohio State gets up 25+, the game can slow in the second half with longer possessions, deeper rotation minutes, and fewer possessions that feel truly high urgency. In that script, Ohio State can still score plenty while Grambling struggles to keep up, and the combined total ends up landing under even though the favourite wins easily.
A reasonable scoring shape based on your stats is Ohio State in the mid-to-high 80s and Grambling somewhere in the low-to-mid 60s, which points more naturally to the under than the over.
Total Pick: Under 150.5
Final Score Prediction
Ohio State 88, Grambling 60 — that projects to Ohio State covering -27.5 and the Under 150.5 cashing (total 148).
Betting on College Basketball?
- Join Picks and Parlays premium for free and get a free $30 coupon with code FREE30
- Get started and wager on college hoops today with our favorite online sportsbooks
- Claim a CBB betting bonus offer with the best sportsbook promos
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
New Users – Bet $5 Get $200 in Bet Reset Tokens for 5 Days
New DraftKings Customers: Spend $5+ Get $200 in Bonuses Instantly!
