Ohio State does not have much time to sit and sulk after allowing a game it felt it could have won Sunday slip away. The Buckeyes fell to Maryland, 66-61, their last time out.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin (13-9, 5-4) | Kohl Center (Madison, Wisc.) | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
Such is life in the Big Ten.
Ohio State returns to action Thursday night to take on Wisconsin, a team that is streaking having won four-straight games.
The Buckeyes will certainly have their hands full with the Badgers, but this is also a winnable game for Ohio State. With Northwestern and Rutgers to follow — two additional games the Buckeyes should win — it's the perfect opportunity to build some momentum.
Opponent Breakdown
There might not be a team in the Big Ten playing better basketball at the moment than Wisconsin. The Badgers have won four-straight games with two of those victories coming against top-25 opponents.
Wisconsin downed Indiana and Illinois in its two games leading up to Thursday's showdown with the Buckeyes. The Badgers were able to hand the Hoosiers their first loss of the season in Big Ten play.
It has been the usual suspects leading the way for Wisconsin this season. Junior forward Nigel Hayes is now playing at an All-Big Ten level — as many expected him to — leading the Badgers in scoring at 17 points per game. Point guard Bronson Koenig has been steady and is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Ethan Happ has won three-straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards and is averaging 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for Wisconsin.
The Badgers are No. 53 in KenPom's advanced statistical ratings, ranking 47th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 87th in offensive efficiency. Wisconsin is averaging 67.2 points per game in Big Ten play — just 10th in the conference — but is allowing only 64.4 points per game, which ranks No. 2 in the league.
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State shot a season-low 35.6 percent from the field in Sunday's 66-61 loss to Maryland. The Buckeyes had a chance to pull the upset and grab a much-needed win, but they failed to execute down the stretch as the Terrapins made big shots to pull out the victory.
The consistency is just not there right now for Ohio State and Matta is continuing to shuffle lineups around to try and figure things out. The Buckeyes particularly need more from freshman JaQuan Lyle — who has been moved to the bench and has struggled in that new role — and junior Marc Loving.
Against the Terps, Lyle scored just one point and took only two shots from the floor — he missed both — in 24 minutes of action. Loving played a team-high 33 minutes, scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds, but was only 1-of-9 shooting.
Even with all of that, though, it is clear Ohio State has gotten better over the last couple of weeks. The Buckeyes now need that to translate into wins, though.
How It Plays Out
It's not easy for any team to go to the Kohl Center and earn a win against Wisconsin and Ohio State is no exception to that. If the Buckeyes are going to pull this one off, it's not going to be easy.
As many of these remaining games are for Ohio State, Thursday is another must-win. It is against a team equal to the Buckeyes' talent level and a loss at this point in the season to a team on a similar level simply can't happen.
With that said, I've got Wisconsin winning a close game. Had this game been played earlier in the year, when the Badgers were reeling a bit, it may have been a different story. But I think Wisconsin has righted the ship and pulls this one out.
Tim's prediction: Wisconsin 64, Ohio State 61
