Realistically, there's not much else to say from the last preview. I will link it in the comments if you missed it and are interested. For right now, there are a few main things to watch as we see if the Buckeyes will go 0-2 vs. our rival this year.
1) Faceoffs
Justin Wietfeldt destroyed the Buckeyes at the dot until the 4th quarter. Coincidentally, that's when the Buckeyes exploded to get within one. Can Ohio State right the ship and avoid getting so far behind that the Wolverines run away with this game too? We will find out.
2) Road Blues
Ohio State is bad on the road. Games against Rutgers aside, there's a proven track record of failure for the Buckeyes whenever they go anywhere. The rivalry rematch is in Ann Arbor. Can the Buckeyes overcome their own weaknesses and history?
3) Role Player Assassins
Ohio State did a good job of limiting the Wolverines' best players last game. But the other players stepped up and made the Buckeyes pay. The LSMs and 3rd/4th poles really need to step up today for Ohio State to avoid the sweep.
4) Goalie Play
Caleb Fyock had a bad game last week. By any standard. With that, he will need to bounce back this week and get back to his old form. If Fyock can do that, the Buckeyes will be in business.
5) Offense
Ohio State has been putrid this year on offense. The numbers and I have been saying that most of the year. Last week, the Buckeyes were at 50% of their shots on goal most of the day. That number HAS to hit 60% for the Bucks to win. Has. To. I don't think it will. But that's how the team wins.
Seeing how poorly the faceoff unit fared last week, and how many chances the Wolverines missed while in Columbus, I feel completely about this matchup. Especially since this game is on the road. Ohio State has to climb Everest to get the W. And I don't think they have it in them.
Final prediction: TTUN 15, OSU 12.
Go Bucks!
Game is at noon.
I don't know what the stakes are for this game, but it feels like another poor performance against our biggest rival would be tough to justify to a new AD. Of course, the new guy is pretty focused on football and basketball. So, who knows. Either way, I think a lot of things will happen after this game.
