A quick look at the full-season records of Ohio State and Nebraska doesn't paint the full story of either team's season.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska (13-6, 3-5) | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, NE) | 12 p.m. | FS1 |
The Buckeyes are 12-6, and the Cornhuskers are 13-6, but both have recently hit the roughest stretches of their respective seasons. Ohio State hasn't won a game since Dec. 29, having lost its past five games, while Nebraska holds just a 2-4 record in January and has lost back-to-back games to Michigan State and Rutgers.
Three days after its fifth loss in a row, a 12-point loss to Purdue, the Buckeyes headed on the road to begin a two-game road trip to take on the Cornhuskers. The game will tip off at noon Saturday.
Neither program is in a good spot, and both desperately need a victory to get back on track.
Nebraska's Isaac Copeland called a player's-only meeting following his team's loss to Rutgers on Monday, and head coach Tim Miles ratcheted up practice intensity, per the Omaha World-Herald. Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann hasn't made drastic, sweeping personnel changes, but he called the recent losing streak the "hardest stretch of my coaching career" after the loss to the Boilermakers.
In order to get back on track, both teams want to start playing like they did early in the season, when they had more consistent success.
"I would say the biggest thing for us as a team, we just have to be who were are and get back to doing the things that made us successful earlier in the season, which is playing defense, getting stops, being good teammates, celebrating together, all that," C.J. Jackson said on Friday. "Once that translates from the defensive end, obviously offense comes with it. It's just kind of like an effect that you have once you play the game.
"We know that we're going to get their best shot, and they're going to get our best shot. It's just another game in the Big Ten that's going to be rough and gritty. We just have to be the more tougher team and come ready to play."
Opponent Preview
Unlike Ohio State, which has shifted its starting lineup a few times this season and is dealing with an injury to Kyle Young, Nebraska has a set starting five: Copeland, James Palmer Jr., Glynn Watson Jr., Isaiah Roby and Thomas Allen. Of the Cornhuskers' 77.2 points per game, the starters account for 66.2 points, which is more than Nebraska's opponents have averaged this season.
"They've got a lot of guys that can score," Justin Ahrens said. "Four of their five starters are in double-digits. pretty solid shooting team. They're pretty long, tall, and they're athletic. So, we've got to be ready to run with them. We've got to be ready to get stops."
Palmer, 6-foot-6, 207-pound transfer from Miami, leads the team with 19.4 points and 3.3 assists per game. Though he's a first-team All-Big Ten guard, he's been relatively inefficient on offense, shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Copeland, Watson and Roby also average at least 10 points per game. Copeland, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound Georgetown transfer, is the second-leading scorer with 14.3 points per game. Watson has hit 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. Roby, who stands 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Nebraska's ball control and ability to force turnovers will test the sometimes careless Buckeyes. The Cornhuskers average 10.3 turnovers per game, but force 14.6 turnovers per game.
"That's probably one of the biggest keys for us is taking care of the ball," C.J. Jackson said. "We had quite a few turnovers last game in the first half, and against teams in the Big Ten, that puts you in a bad position already. So, we have to take care of the ball, especially in a hostile environment, how it's going to be tomorrow."
Holtmann has never coached on the road versus the Cornhuskers in the environment that Jackson called "hostile," but he has been told stories.
"They have a great environment from what I’ve heard. I’ve never been there before," Holtmann said. "I’ve heard it is one of the most underrated environments in the country. I’ve heard that from coaches in our league. That’s what we expect on the road. But this appears to be at another level. We are looking forward to the challenge."
Ohio State Preview
Though the Buckeyes suffered their fifth loss in a row three days ago and Kaleb Wesson played just 16 minutes while dealing with foul trouble, they played relatively well with a smaller lineup, out-scoring Purdue when Andre Wesson played center with contributions from Ahrens and Musa Jallow.
Nebraska's size might stifle Ohio State's effectiveness while going small, but Holtmann said he thought "the ball moved a lot better when we went to that lineup," which is especially key for a team that doesn't have many creators who can find shots off the dribble.
"Whatever lineup we're in, the ball has to move a little bit more," Holtmann said. "And I do think it allowed Andre to attack some matchups. But, how consistently can you play that against the kind of size that we're going to see on Saturday and beyond is debatable."
While Ohio State's small-ball lineup succeeded against Purdue with Jallow and Andre Wesson hitting shots consistently, the Buckeyes will be better off if Kaleb Wesson can stay on the court and get into a groove. He'll be tested against length again, but having not scored more than 11 points or grabbed more than six rebounds in the past three games, Ohio State needs him to avoid foul trouble to score enough against the Cornhuskers.
How It Plays Out
At this point, it's hard to find much reason to pick the Buckeyes to win, even against a team like Nebraska that has looked beatable in January. Ohio State might have found a short-term answer with its smaller lineup, but the Cornhuskers have enough size to make that interesting.
Despite similar records, Nebraska is ranked No. 14 in KenPom's ratings, while Ohio State is down at No. 39 with the 58th-best adjusted offensive efficiency rating, per KenPom. Ball control will be at a premium, and the Buckeyes haven't done well in that area consistently. A sixth loss in a row could be on the horizon.
Prediction: Nebraska 77, Ohio State 70
