Who would have thought eight months ago that we would be talking about Chris Holtmann's team playing for a Big Ten regular season title?
Ohio State's movie-like season hits a critical point Wednesday night as a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., will determine first place in the Big Ten, as the Buckeyes attempt to pull even with a Purdue team that hasn't lost since late November.
The Boilermakers are led by a number of future professional players, including Vincent Edwards and Issac Haas, a seven-footer unlike any player Ohio State has faced this season. On paper, this is a game that Purdue should dominate – as many figured it would anyway – but with the spirit and tenacity the Buckeyes are playing with this season, along with the dominance of Keita Bates-Diop, nothing is off the table.
The top-15 matchup has lost a little of its luster as Ohio State will likely be without starting guard Kam Williams, who has been suspended indefinitely by Holtmann for a violation of team rules. Yet, when the ball is tipped at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Buckeyes will be playing in perhaps their biggest regular-season conference game in five years.
Since the Aaron Craft era ended in 2013-14, Ohio State hasn't come close to sniffing a Big Ten regular season title, finishing no higher than fifth in the league. As of Tuesday, though, the Buckeyes sit firmly in second place. A win against the Boilermakers separates OSU from the top spot, a place the Scarlet and Gray have not been since 2011-12, when the Buckeyes, Michigan and Michigan State all shared the conference crown.
The season finale in 2012 featured a matchup against No. 5-ranked Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. If the Spartans would have won, Tom Izzo's squad would have clinched the Big Ten outright, but as Ohio State fans everywhere remember, William Buford had other plans.
One year later, Ohio State invaded Bloomington, Ind., on a Tuesday night to take on the Big Ten's top team, Indiana, on the Hoosiers' Senior Night. Once again, the Buckeyes prevailed, as Tom Crean's Indiana team that featured a pair of top-five draft picks in Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo fell by nine to OSU at home.
While Indiana still earned the Big Ten regular season title that season, that Buckeye win helped earn Thad Matta's crew the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which Ohio State would go on to win before advancing to the Elite Eight in the NCAA's.
| Date/Opponent | OSU Record | Opp. Record | Result | Reg. Season Champ | Tournament Champ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 4, 2012 (MSU) | 24-6 (12-5) | 24-6 (13-4) | W, 72-70 | OSU, UM, MSU (tie) | MSU (Defeated OSU) |
| March 5, 2013 (IU) | 21-7 (11-5) | 25-4 (13-3) | W, 67-58 | Indiana | Ohio State (Defeated WIS) |
| Feb. 7, 2018 (PUR) | 20-5 (11-1) | 23-2 (12-0) | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Ohio State has played in a number of significant conference games since then, including an upset victory over then-ranked No. 1 Michigan State earlier this year. However, the Buckeyes have not played in a game of this magnitude – with the conference crown on the line – in almost five years, a spot that not many thought Holtmann's squad would be in with just six games left in the regular season.
The Boilermakers hold the home court advantage in the lone matchup between the two schools this season, and while Ohio State won the previously discussed last two premier conference matchups away from Columbus, the Buckeyes have not won at Mackey Arena since Dec. 31, 2013. Ohio State's leading scorer in that game was LaQuinton Ross, who dropped in 25 points to push the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes to a 78-69 win.
The winner of Wednesday night's clash will be in the driver's seat to win the conference, as Ohio State is not set to play another ranked team the rest of the regular season, while Purdue would give itself a two-game lead over both the Buckeyes and Michigan State with just five games remaining.
History is on Ohio State's side, while depth and overall talent favors the Boilermakers. Either way, the Buckeyes are playing a meaningful game in early February, not something many thought would be the case just eight months ago.
