The Buckeyes have two games left in the regular season, and going 2-0 will go a long way to them making the NCAA Tournament
The Ohio State Buckeyes (16-13 overall, 8-10 conference) will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-12 overall, 7-11 conference) at the Schottenstein Center in a do-or-die game for the Buckeyes’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 1-1 record on their West Coast swing. They fell to UCLA last Sunday 69-61, but bounced back with an 87-82 win at USC to snap a three-game losing streak.
Nebraska is coming into this game on a slide of its own, losing three-straight to Penn State, Michigan and Minnesota. The Gophers defeated the Huskers at the buzzer to put a significant dent in their NCAA Tournament hopes. They also need a win in Columbus to stay alive for the 68-team tournament.
BRENNAN RIGSBY HITS THE WINNER FOR MINNESOTA @GopherMBB
(via @CBBonFOX)pic.twitter.com/INK5OTmYQn
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 1, 2025
Luckily for Ohio State, they are back in the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center, where they are 10-6 at home, compared to Nebraska who is 5-6 on the road.
The Buckeyes are 21-8 all-time against Nebraska and 17-6 since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten Conference prior to the 2011-12 season. However, Nebraska has won three of the last four meetings in the series. All time, the Buckeyes are 11-2 against the ‘Huskers in Columbus, including a win last season.
The Buckeyes are currently No. 36 in the NET rankings and No. 32 in KenPom and squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Ohio State will come into this contest healthy for the first time in a few weeks after the flu bug hit the team hard, forcing Aaron Bradshaw to miss time and both Sean Stewart and John Mobley Jr. to play through illness.
The first time these two teams played this season was a 79-71 win for the Huskers in Lincoln on Super Bowl Sunday. Micah Parrish led the Buckeyes with 30 points, while Brice Williams had 24 points, and Juwan Gary added 19 points for Nebraska. Nebraska is 1-4 since that win.
Preview
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For Ohio State, junior point guard Bruce Thornton leads the way, averaging 17.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He has been efficient all season as well, shooting 50 percent from the field, 84 percent from the free-throw line and 44 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal, who made the game-winning bucket and free-throw against USC, is averaging 13.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. is getting over the flu and is averaging 13.1 points per game on 40 percent shooting from three-point range. Senior forward and San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish is averaging 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
For Nebraska, Brice Williams has been one of the best players in the conference and is the fuel that makes the Huskers go. He is averaging 19.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He is second in the Big Ten in scoring behind Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli, who is averaging 19.9 per game.
Senior Juwan Gary is averaging 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian averages 10.5 points per contest while shooting 39 percent from three-point range. Gary scored 19 points the last time these two teams met.
Ohio State averages 78.5 points per game, eighth in the Big Ten, while Nebraska is No. 13 in the conference, scoring at 74.3 points per game. Both teams get their points in different ways, as Ohio State is third in the conference in three-point percentage, and Nebraska is No. 15 in the same category.
Prediction
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The calendar has changed to March, and that means postseason basketball is coming. For Ohio State and Nebraska, it is already here, since the winner of this game will stay on the right side of the bubble and the loser will find itself on the outside looking in, barring a conference tournament run.
The Buckeyes are 1-0 in true must-win games this year. With the win over USC, they looked solid. Nebraska is on a slide, and they are a different team away from Pinnacle Bank Arena.
I think the Buckeyes will win this game and head to Assembly Hall to secure a tournament spot.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 73.3%
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 82, Nebraska 72