Ohio State Preview

Date: Thursday, February 27th

Time: 8:00pm CST

Location: Lincoln, NE

Record: 18-9 (8-8 Big Ten Conference)

Last Meeting: Ohio State 80 Nebraska 68 on January 21st

Ranking: AP/Coaches #23

Since Last Meeting:

The Buckeyes have been on a bit of an uptick in play since we last saw them in Lincoln. Going 6-4 may not seem all that impressive but when you look at the competition they faced, it makes sense.

After the win over the Huskers the Buckeyes lost to Penn State and Minnesota. They then jumped on a three game winning streak against Northwestern, Indiana, & Michigan. Not the heavy hitters of the conference but formidable foes none the less. A rough loss to Wisconsin followed backed up with wins over spunky Rutgers and Purdue. They then lost to Iowa and most recently beat #7 Maryland.

They dug themselves in a hole that started in December and ended in late January. They are currently in the mix in the middle of the conference right now and will try to improve their stock for the post season in the next couple of weeks. After Nebraska they have #19 Michigan, Illinois, and and Michigan State to end the season with. All very good teams that could help or hinder Ohio State’s post season plans.

Again, face value makes it look like they made it through the month with a few bumps and bruises but this years Big Ten is stacked from top to almost the bottom. They could have easily lost some of these games they won and vice versa.

Kaleb Wesson is still dominating the court. He is leading the team with 14 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. He had 13 points against the Huskers in January and pulled down 13 rebounds. Expect more of the same form this very talented Buckeye. He’s big at 6’9” and 270lbs and should once again dominate the paint. On top of that, he is also one of the more physical players in the conference and will throw his weight around if he has to.

Also of note is Duane Washington Jr. The sophomore guard is averaging 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game for the Buckeyes. He did not play in the win against Nebraska in January but expect him to be an impact when the Husker come to town this time around.

Prediction:

Well, like we have stated before, it depends on what Husker team shows up. If Nebraska can keep themselves from getting into a hole early that they have to dig themselves out of then this could be a good game. Or maybe Nebraska plays hot and cold all game and OSU takes advantage of the talent gap between the teams. It’s hard to tell but the Buckeyes are playing better ball than when we saw them last and should end up with another win before the season is over.

Ohio State University 78 University of Nebraska 65