The Buckeyes host the Wildcats in a must-win game for Ohio State to stay on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (15-11 overall, 7-8 in conference) will host the Northwestern Wildcats (13-13 overall, 4-11 in conference) on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
This is a must-win for the Buckeyes to stay on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble.
According to Ohio State Athletics, Ohio State has dominated the all-time series with Northwestern 123-50. The Buckeyes are 71-16 in Columbus vs. the Wildcats, including 15-2 at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have also done well on this particular date, as they are 7-0 against the Wildcats on Feb. 20, with the most recent win coming in 2019.
Last year, in the team’s only meeting of the season, the Wildcats shot out to an early lead and held on down the stretch for an 83-58 victory in Evanston on Jan. 27.
The Buckeyes are currently No. 29 in the NET rankings and No. 27 in KenPom. Northwestern, on the other hand, is 62 in the NET and 58 in KenPom.
Ohio State is coming off a back-and-forth game with Big Ten-leading Michigan on Sunday. The game featured 16 lead changes, and the Wolverines made the last stop in an 86-83 victory.
According to Ohio State Athletics, Bruce Thornton has dished out 27 assists with just four turnovers in the last five games. That’s a 6.75-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His career ratio of 2.97-to-1 would be second among active players once he qualifies with his 400th assist (just 26 away).
Ohio State has played eight one-possession games this season. That is the most for the Buckeyes since the 2016-17 season when they also played eight games decided by three points or less.
Preview
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Forward Nick Martinelli is the gas that makes the Wildcats go. He averages a Big Ten-leading 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He is shooting 47 percent from the field, 70 percent from the free-throw line, and 37 percent from three-point range. He is one of three Northwestern starters — along with Ty Berry and Jalen Leach — shooting better than 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Martinelli also leads the Big Ten in minutes at 37.7 minutes per game. Thornton is third at 35.6 minutes per game.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, their second-leading scorer, senior guard Brooks Barnhizer, is out for the season with a season-ending foot fracture.
Barnhizer was one of the best players in the conference leading up to his injury, averaging 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over 17 games. He was averaging 36.8 minutes per game.
Leach has done a good job stepping up in Barnhizer’s absence, averaging 14.3 points per game and 3.4 assists per game. Ty Berry is averaging 10.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Center Matt Nicholson averages 5.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
For Ohio State, junior point guard Bruce Thornton leads the team with 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He is shooting 52 percent from the field, 83 percent from the free throw line, and 46 percent from three-point range. Thornton’s 35.6 minutes per game leads Ohio State.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal is averaging 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Royal is coming off a 26-point performance against Michigan last Sunday, his fifth game of 20+ points this season.
Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. averages 13.5 points per game and leads the Big Ten in three-pointers made with 66 and in three-point percentage at 41.8 percent.
Micah Parrish averages 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart average 6.6 and 5.8 points per game, respectively. Stewart also averages 6.0 rebounds per game.
Prediction
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It is pretty simple for Ohio State. This is a must-win if they want to play in the NCAA tournament.
Northwestern is one of the teams in danger of missing the Big Ten Tournament, and this is a home game for Ohio State. Northwestern is 0-8 on the road this season and are down their second-best player.
This is like the recent Washington, Penn State, and Iowa games. Just win and move on. Something Ohio State has done well this year has been handling games like this, winning all of them by double digits.
Northwestern is a decent team that has had a bad season, and Ohio State will take some of its frustration from the loss against Michigan out on Thursday.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 77.1%
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1