VCU Rams vs. Ohio State Buckeyes March Madness Betting Preview

No. 7 VCU takes on No. 10 Ohio State in one of the most intriguing matchups of the Round of 64 on Thursday.

The No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes are 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as the betting favorite. Despite entering Thursday's Round of 64 game against the No. 7 VCU Rams as the lower seed, the Buckeyes are being tabbed as the favorite.

Ohio State is a 4-point favorite according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This marks just the fifth time since 2008 that a No. 10 seed has been favored over a No. 7 seed. The Rams and the Buckeyes will clash at the Moda Center at 4:40pm ET on Thursday.

Overall, Ohio State had a solid season in the tough Big Ten with a 23-10 SU and 15-6-1 ATS record. But when going off as an underdog or favored by less than five, Ohio State was just 1-8 SU and 1-7-1 ATS.

The Buckeyes will need to prove that they can beat quality opponents if they want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament this year, and they'll get that opportunity early against a solid VCU squad. Ohio State is just 1-5 ATS over its last six March Madness games.

Virginia Commonwealth entered its final three games of the season in the midst of a 5-5 SU and 2-8 ATS slump. But with a 3-0 SU and ATS run through Richmond, Davidson and Dayton, VCU scored itself the Atlantic 10 title and some momentum heading into March Madness. The Rams are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 tournament games and 6-1 ATS in their last seven round of 64 games.

The OVER is 4-2 over Ohio State's last six games and 3-0 over VCU's last three. Thursday's total is set at 137 points at the sportsbooks

Part of what makes this game so interesting is the fact that both of these teams were knocked out via round of 64 upsets last season. Both Ohio State and Virginia Commonwealth will be fighting tooth and nail to avoid another early exit, setting the stage for an exciting matchup. Ohio State superstar D'Angelo Russell will need to be at his best if the Buckeyes are going to solve this stingy VCU defense.

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