The Buckeyes head to Madison to face the Badgers, hoping to get back to .500 in conference play.
After a few days off to regroup, Ohio State (10-6, 2-3 B1G) heads to Madison tonight to face No. 24 Wisconsin (13-3, 3-2 B1G) in a key conference matchup that marks the Buckeyes’ second game in a row against a top-25 team and kicks off a tough three-game stretch.
On the heels of a heartbreaking 73-71 loss to No. 15 Oregon in the final minutes, a win against Wisconsin would bring the Buckeyes back to .500 in conference play at a critical time in the season. The Badgers, for their part, are on a five-game win streak, most recently crushing Minnesota, 80-53.
The Buckeyes have faced Wisconsin 175 times historically, and though they lead the all-time series 91-77, the Badgers lead when the game is played in Madison, 49 games to 31.
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Preview
The loss to Oregon was a setback for the Buckeyes, who have won three of their last five (including their 85-65 upset of No. 4 Kentucky) but have dropped two consecutive games at home (both to ranked opponents).
After carrying a five-point lead into halftime and staying ahead for most of the game, the Ducks clawed their way to victory from behind, thanks to a 24-point outing from Ducks’ guard Jackson Shelstad.
It marked the second-consecutive neck-and-neck game for the Buckeyes, who, in the game just prior, beat Minnesota 89-86 in double-overtime.
With the exception of Meechie Johnson, who is on a leave of absence for personal reasons, all other OSU players were available for the Oregon game for the first time in quite some time, and they came out of the gate strong, forcing a shot clock violation on the very first play of the game.
From there, the Buckeyes held onto the lead for most of the game, with its biggest lead of the day (41-32) coming in the second half. The Buckeyes led the game with just seven seconds on the clock, but a foul on the Ducks’ final possession allowed them to win on free throws.
Ohio State was led by Bruce Thornton with 20 points and three assists. Sophomore Sean Stewart also played a key role in the game, scoring a career-high 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals. John Mobley Jr., who has been an impressive force for the Buckeyes this season, struggled against Oregon, putting up 16 points but just 1-of-5 from long and committing a team-high five turnovers in 25 minutes.
It was a tough loss for a team that has a brutal January schedule, with games still to come against Indiana, No. 17 Purdue, and Iowa.
So far this year, Ohio State has four guys averaging double-digit scoring: Thornton (17.1 ppg), Devin Royal (13.1 ppg), John Mobley Jr. (12.2 ppg), and Micah Parrish (10.2 ppg).
On the Wisconsin side, the Badgers have been a strong team all season, starting the year 8-0 and seeing their ranking rise as high as No. 11 before losing three straight (to Michigan, No. 5 Marquette, and Illinois—their only three losses this season). Still, they’ve bounced back, cruising past Iowa, Rutgers, and Minnesota in their last three.
They are led in scoring by John Tonje, who is averaging 18.3 points per game, and they currently have four other players averaging in double figures (guard John Blackwell with 15.4 ppg, forward Nolan Winter with 11 ppg, guard Max Klesmit with 10.5 ppg and forward Stephen Crowl with 10.3 ppg). Klesmit leads in assists and steals with an average of 3 and 1.1 per game, respectively, while Winter is the rebound leader with an average of 6.1 per game.
Against the Golden Gophers, Crowl led the Badgers with 18 points, followed by Tonje who added 16 of his own as Wisconsin shot 57.7 percent from the field.
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Prediction
The Buckeyes’ inability to contain Shelstad—especially from long range—hurt against Oregon, especially knowing victory was within reach. Ohio State outplayed Oregon for most of the sixty minutes, but they couldn’t close it out.
At a certain point, these tough conference games start to become must-wins for the Buckeyes’ postseason hopes. Now, their job becomes a bit harder, as they have to play in Madison rather than on their home turf.
Wisconsin has looked excellent this season; they’re certainly in contention for a Big Ten title if they continue to play as they have been, and they’re even better at defending their home court. That makes this game an uphill battle for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has played ranked opponents close this year, even landing the upset over Kentucky, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could do the same against Wisconsin, but they’ll need to execute flawlessly and find a way to finish it all the way through to the end.
ESPN BPI: Wisconsin 67.1%
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Wisconsin 75, Ohio State 71