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What To Watch: Buckeyes host Wisconsin in battle of struggling squads
Two teams in need of a Big Ten will collide tonight as Ohio State hosts Wisconsin at Value City Arena. Fox Sports 1 will have national coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The Buckeyes (11-10, 3-7) just wrapped a stretch where they played four of their last five games on the road. OSU has also lost seven of its last eight games to fall to 12th in the conference standings.
The most recent loss was on Saturday night at Indiana, where OSU suffered its worst loss of the season by margin in an 86-70 defeat. The Hoosiers went on 15-0 run in the last minutes of the first half to grab control of the game.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh had 23 points and six rebounds to lead OSU. Center Zed Key added 12 points.
Wisconsin (12-8, 4-6) has lost its last three games to fall to 11th in the Big Ten.
This is the lone scheduled match-up between OSU and Wisconsin this season.
The Buckeyes are wearing “This Game is No Secret” shirts on Thursday night vs. Wisconsin. The third annual event is organized by the coaches behind ERACISM and is in honor of the legacy of John McLendon. He led his team to a win over Duke in 1944 in a game that had to be played in secret due to Jim Crow laws.
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WHAT TO WATCH: WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE
* Opponent: Wisconsin
* Where: Value City Arena
* Date, Time: Tonight, 7 p.m. (Eastern)
* TV: Fox Sports 1 (announcers: Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson)
* Radio: OSU Radio Network (64 stations); WBNS-FM (97.1 The Fan) in Columbus (announcers: Paul Keels and Ron Stokes; click
here for affiliates).
* 2022-23 Records: Ohio State, 11-10 overall, 3-7 Big Ten; Wisconsin, 12-8 overall, 4-6 Big Ten.
* Poll Rankings: Ohio State, unranked; Wisconsin, unranked.
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HOW WE SEE IT
After one of the worst January showings in years, Ohio State has a chance to resurrect its season with a big stretch run. The Buckeyes will play six of their last 10 games at home, including three of the next four. This stretch begins with tonight’s home game against a Wisconsin team which is scuffling every bit as much as Ohio State has been.
Like Ohio State, Wisconsin has been beset by injuries. Star forward Tyler Wahl missed three games due to an ankle injury and the Badgers lost them all. Even with him, they’ve dropped their last three games coming into this one. They were outright humbled at home by Illinois on Saturday, losing by 10 points and only scoring 51 points.
Now comes Ohio State, which is also coming off its worst loss of the season (at least by margin) with Saturday’s 16-point loss at Indiana. The story of OSU’s season is the Buckeyes have played nearly everybody even but have found ways to lose tight games. That was true to a degree at Indiana, where the teams were even for 35 minutes. But Indiana outscored OSU by 15 points in the final five minutes of the first half.
And it’s been like that all season in the losses (and even in some of the wins) where the Buckeyes go five or six minutes without scoring or without a made field goal.
It’s common sense that the team that makes the most shots will win this game. I think Ohio State is better equipped to do that, particularly if Wisconsin can’t find a way to deter OSU freshman phenom Brice Sensabaugh. It could be on Wahl to try and defend him.
OSU center Zed Key seems to be working his way back from a shoulder injury. He was finally finishing some plays in the loss at Indiana. He should have the edge against 7-footer Steven Crowl in the middle.
OSU may go with Justice Sueing to defend Wahl. The Buckeyes need to get the ball out of his hands or deny him as much as possible. He is clearly Wisconsin’s best player.
Bruce Thornton could have his hands full with UW veteran point guard Chucky Hepburn. My guess is Sueing or Sensabaugh will be on UW guard Max Klesmit, who can be a three-point threat. Sean McNeil likely takes on UW freshman guard Connor Essegian, who broke out for a career-high 19 points in a recent game against Maryland.
In short, I just don’t think Wisconsin has the offense or shot making ability to win this game. OSU will need to find through a lot of contact because UW defends like heck. But the Buckeyes, playing at home, will put this one in the win column.
* I’ve got it: Ohio State 71, Wisconsin 65 (Ohio State is favored by 7-1/2 points on the early line; the over/under is 132-1/2 points)
