Ohio State has had the comfort of playing basketball on its home floor just twice in the past 28 days.
After a grueling stretch of four road games in the past five contests, the 18th-ranked Buckeyes return to the Schottenstein Center for a three-game homestand that starts with a matchup against Minnesota on Tuesday. Ohio State beat the Gophers by double digits in the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 27, and now the Buckeyes will try to top that performance during the rematch in Columbus.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota (12-10, 3-10 B1G) | Schottenstein Center | 8:30 p.m. | BTN |
Minnesota had lost four out of five games entering the last matchup with Ohio State, and the loss to the Buckeyes started a streak of five consecutive defeats for the Gophers thereafter. Ben Johnson and company picked up their first win in three weeks in their most recent appearance, edging out a six-point win over Penn State on Saturday, but success has been hard to come by for the Gophers since the start of Big Ten play.
The Buckeyes have traded wins and losses in their past four games, but will start this week with confidence after securing a double-digit road win over Michigan just three nights ago. Sitting in fifth place in the Big Ten standings, a second win over the Gophers would help the Buckeyes continue to jockey for a higher rung on the ladder with postseason play just a month away.
What to Watch For
Will Ohio State dominate inside again?
In the Jan. 27 matchup, Ohio State finished with a 48-22 edge in total rebounds, a 27-6 advantage in second chance points and outscored the Gophers by 14 points in the paint. Buckeye bigs E.J. Liddell, Kyle Young and Zed Key combined to score 49 points for Ohio State, and now the Buckeyes will enter the second matchup knowing they have a distinct upper hand on the interior. However, Minnesota will also have a key big man in its lineup that it didn’t have in the first game.
"They're going to be reminded that we did have our way with them in the first game in the paint," Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon said Monday. "That's something we have to earn on a nightly basis. So regardless of what happened in a previous game or last game or two weeks ago, whatever, what is gonna matter is the team that is the most desperate team, the hungrier team, the team that refuses to be denied in the paint, that's a team that's gonna be in good position to win the game."
Gophers will have a starting forward back
Eric Curry, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound senior forward, was out for Minnesota the last time it took on Ohio State. With averages of 8.9 points and 6.2 boards, Curry could make a difference on the interior given how mismatched the battle in the paint was in the previous matchup. Curry had a season-high 22 points in Minnesota’s win over Penn State on Saturday, and might give Liddell, Key and company a harder time down low than they had a few weeks ago.
"What he brings to their team, it changes the look of their team," Pedon said. "They're not a particularly deep team, and you lose a guy like that, and I think that hurt them from an energy standpoint, from a physicality standpoint and from a depth standpoint. But with him back, it's a really different look on the interior."
Buckeyes have taken care of the ball
Turnovers were an issue for Ohio State early in the season, as the Buckeyes had at least 10 turnovers in 13 of their first 14 games. Since then, Ohio State has not hit double-digit turnovers in any of the last seven contests, which is certainly a streak Holtmann and company want to see continue down the stretch of the season.
Three Important Buckeyes
E.J. Liddell
Liddell is averaging 22.2 points, eight rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Buckeyes in his last five games, and he’s shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. Each of those numbers are above his season averages. Liddell scored 28 points on the road against Michigan on Saturday, and he scored 23 in the first game against Minnesota. If his recent work is any indication, another big game from the Buckeyes' best player is incoming.
Chris Holtmann believes E.J. Liddell should be getting more recognition for his stellar season.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) February 13, 2022
Start talking about E.J. as a player of the year in this league. He is deserving. He is deserving to be in that conversation. pic.twitter.com/I7N9eFR29E
Cedric Russell
The Louisiana transfer was “the difference in the game” against Michigan according to Holtmann, who lauded Russell’s efforts after a 12-point performance off the bench in the win over the Wolverines. Each shot Russell hit was a timely one for Ohio State, and Russell sacrificed his body on the defensive end for the Buckeyes as well. His 24 minutes were the most he’s played all year, and Russell is likely to earn more in the aftermath of his standout showing in Ann Arbor.
Eugene Brown
Even though he was a game-time decision just an hour before tip-off, Brown got his first career start on Saturday and played the most minutes of his career. Brown scored just two points, but he pulled down eight rebounds and used his length to be a defensive disruptor on the perimeter. If Brown continues to start for the Buckeyes, his confidence might only increase as postseason play draws nearer.
Three Important Gophers
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAYTON WILLIS | G | 6-4 | 200 | 16.5 PPG, 4.5 APG |
| E.J. STEHPENS | G | 6-3 | 175 | 11 PPG, 3.2 RPG |
| LUKE LOWE | G | 6-4 | 185 | 8.1 PPG, 2.4 APG |
| JAMISON BATTLE | F | 6-7 | 225 | 16.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG |
| ERIC CURRY | F | 6-9 | 240 | 8.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG |
Jamison Battle
One factor in Minnesota’s lack of success against the Buckeyes in the last matchup was that Battle, the Gophers’ leading scorer, shot just 5-for-18 on the night – tied for his most attempts of the year. Battle, who is averaging 16.7 points per game for Minnesota, still finished with 15 points in the contest, but a more efficient evening would go a long way in helping the Gophers’ cause Tuesday.
Payton Willis
At 16.5 points per game, Willis has only been a hair less prolific than Battle as a scorer for Minnesota this season. He’s been particularly hot in the past seven games. In that stretch, the 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 18.9 points, 6.3 assists and five boards for the Gophers, with two 20-point performances and a pair of double-doubles in that mix. Look for Willis to be more aggressive in both facilitating offense and creating his own shot than he was in the last meeting with Ohio State.
E.J. Stephens
Stephens didn’t make much of an impact in the first time out against the Buckeyes, scoring just five points on 1-for-5 shooting, but the Lafayette transfer guard came up big in Minnesota’s win over Penn State Saturday. In 27 minutes, Stephens tallied 13 points to notch his 11th double-digit scoring performance of the season, and that game also represented his highest scoring total in almost a month.
How It Plays Out
Line: Ohio State -13, O/U 140
Ohio State easily controlled the interior against Minnesota last time out, and even with Curry back in the lineup, the Gophers are still one of the worst rebounding teams in the entire conference. Ohio State hasn’t yet slipped up at home this season, and a Gopher team that has lost nine of its last 11 games isn’t likely to be the first road team to get a win at the Schott.
Prediction: Ohio State 78, Minnesota 66
