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Road Swing Continues at Northwestern Saturday Night - Ohio State
Ohio State at Northwestern
Road Swing Continues at Northwestern Saturday Night
Ohio State at NorthwesternDate: January 27, 2024
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Welsh-Ryan Arena – Evanston, Ill.
Watch: BTN
Ohio State heads to Northwestern for a Saturday evening tilt with the Wildcats. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Dave Revsine and Shon Morris will call the action.
- Ohio State has dominated the all-time series with Northwestern 123-49. The Buckeyes are 51-33 at Northwestern and 38-17 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
- The Buckeyes have won six of the last 10 meetings with the Wildcats. Prior to that, the Buckeyes won 31 of 33 meetings dating back to 1999.
- Last year, the teams split a pair of meetings with each winning on the other's home floor. The Buckeyes raced out to a 20-2 lead and dominated throughout in a 73-57 victory at Northwestern on Jan. 1, 2023. Brice Sensabaugh scored a team-high 18 points while Sean McNeil made three three-pointers and finished with 15 points. In the meeting in Columbus, the lead went back and forth 10 times with neither team leading by more than nine before Northwestern pulled-out a 69-63 victory. Justice Sueing led the Buckeyes with 19 points.
- The last Buckeye road victory was the win at Northwestern on Jan. 1. That is a span of 13 road games.
- Ohio State is coming off an 83-69 setback at Nebraska on Tuesday night. Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 16 points. He also had six assists and zero turnovers and two steals. Jamison Battle made three three-pointers and finished with 11 points while sophomore Bowen Hardman also made three triples and finished with a career-high 11 points.
- The Buckeyes have taken care of the basketball recently. They had a streak of double-digit turnovers in six consecutive games but his since had single-digit turnovers in four consecutive games. That includes their two lowest turnover games of four (at Michigan) and six (vs. Penn State).
- Roddy Gayle Jr. dished-out a career-high eight assists at Nebraska on Tuesday night. Starting on Jan. 3, he had a three-game stretch with five combined assists and 12 turnovers. In his last three games, he's flipped that with 13 assists and just three turnovers.
- Sophomore guard Bowen Hardman sprung off the bench late in the game vs. Nebraska on Tuesday night and knocked-down 4-of-8 shots, including three three-pointers to finish with a career-high 11 points. He had scored just eight points up until that point this season and just 20 points in his career.
- Northwestern enters the game at 14-5 overall and is coming off a thrilling 96-91 overtime victory over No. 10 Illinois on Wednesday night. Boo Buie leads the team and is fifth in the Big Ten at 18.5 ppg. He also has a team-high 100 assists. Ty Berry has made 44 three-pointers and is shooting better than 42 percent from beyond the arc.
Is Ohio State a must-win game for Northwestern men’s basketball?
The expectations for this ‘Cats team have undoubtedly been raised.
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Is Ohio State a must-win game for Northwestern men’s basketball?
The expectations for this ‘Cats team have undoubtedly been raised.The first step in controlling that destiny is to beat Ohio State when it comes to the Welsh on Saturday. Coming off a loss to Nebraska, the Buckeyes will look to return to the win column as they reach a pivotal moment in their season. Yet, Welsh-Ryan Arena has proven to be a fortress for the ‘Cats, especially when the students are present.
So, is this game a must-win for Northwestern? I’ll say yes, simply because every home game should give the ‘Cats an edge at this point. Their sole loss at Welsh-Ryan came against Chicago State in potentially one of the worst losses in program history. However, while inexcusable, there were no students, barely any outside fans, and an utter lack of confidence. Flash forward to the New Year as January nears a close, and that narrative has completely flipped. With six home games remaining on the docket, the ‘Cats have given me no reason to believe they shouldn’t be the team that emerges victorious in every single one of those matchups.
