Basketball Preview: Unbeaten Ohio State Enters Big Ten Play As Underdog To Purdue At Mackey Arena

Twenty-one months ago, he took the Buckeyes to West Lafayette, Indiana, where Purdue hit them with slobberknocker after slobberknocker. By the end of 40 minutes of action, the Boilermakers had secured a convincing 86-51 victory that sent a bruised Ohio State team back to Columbus searching for answers as the end of the 2018-19 regular season neared.

On Wednesday evening, the Buckeyes will be back in Mackey Arena – this time without a jam-packed building filled with raucous fans – searching for some payback. Their foray into Big Ten play begins with a road matchup with Purdue that's set to tip off at 7 p.m. 

The Boilermakers have a 4-2 record so far, beating all the teams they were supposed to beat – Liberty, Oakland, Valparaiso and Indiana State – but dropping games to Miami (Florida) and Clemson.

So far, Ohio State has remained unbeaten, winning five games out of the gate. But it would be foolish to overlook the fact that four wins came versus low-major opponents ranked outside of KenPom's top-200 teams in the country, and the other was against a Notre Dame team that most project to finish in the bottom half of the ACC. What happens when Ohio State enters the teeth of the Big Ten? We're all about to find out.

"They know that the level of energy and intensity in the room is ratcheted up when it comes to league play," Holtmann said. "It just is. We'll remind them of that. We'll be prepared for it, and hopefully we'll respond with some really good, competitive stuff."

Going forward, all but one opponent (Nebraska) will be a top-70 team nationally, per KenPom. So, how ready does Holtmann think Ohio State is for a step up in competition?

"I think we'll find out, right? Time will tell," Holtmann said. "Certainly in a perfect world, you'd like to have some more games under your belt and maybe a little bit more game experience against similar competition to the Big Ten. But I think we'll find out here. I think that's what these early games are. Obviously they're important games, but we're also still learning a lot about our group as a whole, and I'm sure Purdue and other Big Ten teams are in that boat as well."

Three Things To Watch

Big Test For Big Men

If you feel like Purdue has a new 7-footer ever couple of years, you're not going crazy. 

"It's now become a part of their system and what they're recruiting to and how they prioritize," Holtmann said.

The latest behemoth in the paint the Buckeyes have to deal with is Zach Edey, a 7-foot-4, 285-pound freshman who's blowing his recruiting ranking – No. 432 overall and No. 74 among centers – out of the water so far. In his first five games of college basketball, he's tied for first on the team with 13.3 points per game, making 75 percent of his shots and adding 4.3 rebounds per game. Beside him, 6-foot-10, 265-pound Trevion Williams leads the Boilermakers in both scoring (13.3 points) and rebounding (10.3).

They'd be a tough matchup for Ohio State at any point in the year, but that's especially true given the fact that the frontcourt is expected to be without sophomore E.J. Liddell due to mononucleosis for the second straight game.

"There's no question I think that's a significant challenge for us, particularly with a man down, the depth across our front line," Holtmann said. "We'll learn a lot. I think we're going to have to really stay out of foul trouble. I think we're going to have to be really smart about that. We're going to have to deal with them making some shots over us, because that's what they do. We're going to have to live with some of that, for sure."

Senior Kyle Young, who's dealt with ankle soreness recently, will be among the game's most important players. So, too, will freshman Zed Key who hasn't yet faced big men this talented in college. Sophomore Ibrahima Diallo could even get some run.

The Head of the Snake

Ohio State will go as far as its starting backcourt takes it, and that certainly encompasses Big Ten play.

CJ Walker (31.4) and Duane Washington Jr. (30.2) lead the Buckeyes in minutes played over the course of the first five games, and they might top the team in minutes on Wednesday, too. Thus, Holtmann needs them to be on point versus the Boilermakers.

Walker's averaging 13.2 points per game, doing most of his damage from the free-throw line (30-of-31) while only hitting 35.6 percent of his shots from the field. Most importantly, though, he's averaging four assists and two turnovers per game. That's what Ohio State wants and needs out of its point guard. Holtmann, however, didn't think the offense flowed particularly well in the six-point win against Cleveland State, and some of that lies on Walker's shoulders.

Washington's scoring prowess will be important, too, given the expectation that the Buckeyes will be running their offense without Liddell. The junior guard is averaging 14.8 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting. He's most dangerous from behind the 3-point arc where he has hit 38.2 percent of his triples.

They'll be matched up with Purdue's Sasha Stefanovic (12 points, 3.3 assists) and Eric Hunter Jr. (12 points, 2.5 assists), along with Jaden Ivy (12 points) if he's back from a foot injury that's knocked him out for multiple weeks.

Around The Arc

Washington, of course, is dangerous from behind the arc. Justin Ahrens (11-for-20 from 3) is known from his outside stroke. Justice Sueing, while he makes his bones as a penetrator, is 4-for-10 from 3-point range. But outside of them, the Buckeyes haven't shot too well from deep. They're 120th nationally with a 34.9 shot percentage from outside the arc.

Purdue, meanwhile, is hitting 37.8 percent of its 3s, with Stefanovic (19-for-36 from deep) being the No. 1 threat from outside. Shutting him and Brandon Newman (40.9 percent) down will be pertinent for the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Purdue 75, Ohio State 71