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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Indiana: Game preview and prediction
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The Buckeyes head to Assembly Hall for a win-and-in game against the Hoosiers for the NCAA Tournament
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (17-13 overall, 9-10 in conference) will head to Bloomington, Indiana and the iconic Assembly Hall for what is basically an NCAA Tournament game against the Indiana Hoosiers (18-12 overall, 9-10 in conference).
Both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers have had up-and-down seasons, and in other seasons might not even be on the NCAA Tournament bubble. However, it is a historically weak bubble with teams losing left and right.
This will be the 202nd all-time meeting between Ohio State and Indiana. Officially, the Hoosiers lead the series 110-84 after taking into account six vacated games (three wins by each team).
Of late, Indiana has dominated the series, as the Hoosiers have won five of the last six meetings, including the game earlier this season in Columbus. The teams have split the last 16 meetings 8-8, with the Hoosiers holding a slight eight-point edge in the overall point total.
The last Buckeye win in Bloomington was a 55-52 victory on Feb. 10, 2019. That was also the last time the teams met in Bloomington.
In the first meeting, Ohio State erased a 10-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime, and Bruce Thornton’s three-pointer at the buzzer rattled in and out as the Hoosiers escaped with a 77-76 victory.
John Mobley Jr. led the Buckeyes with 22 points. Of note, Devin Royal did not play in this game due to injury, and it was noticed as the Hoosiers out-rebounded the Buckeyes 39-to-35 overall and 14-to-9 on the offensive glass.
The winner on Saturday will pick up another Quad 1 win to help bolster its NCAA Tournament resume, but will also claim the No. 9 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament. The No. 9 seed will open play on Thursday, while the loser will get the No. 10 seed and begin its tournament on Wednesday evening.
The Buckeyes are currently No. 36 in the NET rankings and No. 34 in KenPom.
Ohio State is coming off a 116-114 double-overtime victory over Nebraska on Tuesday evening. Four Buckeyes scored 20 or more points for the first time in program history, and the 116 points were tied for the second-most in a game in program history. Thornton led the way with 29 points and nine assists.
According to Ohio State Athletics, Thornton has averaged 23.3 points per game over the last three games and has 17 assists with just one turnover. He’s also 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. This is the first time in his career in which he’s scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25902268/usa_today_25583581.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State is led into this one by junior point guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 17.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 84 percent from the free-throw line, and 43 percent from three-point range.
Devin Royal is averaging 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on 53 percent shooting from the field. Royal missed the first game against the Hoosiers due to injury. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. averages 13.4 points per game on 40 percent shooting from three-point range.
Micah Parrish averages 13.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. According to Ohio State Athletics, Parrish has now played in 164 career games. In those games, he’s scored 20 or more points just eight times, and five of them have come in the last 12 games.
Indiana is led into the contest by transfer center Oumar Ballo, who is averaging 13.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The Arizona transfer played 40 minutes in the first matchup, recording 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Malik Reneau averages 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Mackenzie Mgbako averages 12.3 and 4.5, respectively.
Ohio State is fifth in the conference in scoring at 79.7 points per game, while Indiana is No. 14 at 75.5 points per game. Ohio State is also third in the conference in three-point percentage at 37.5 percent, while Indiana is No. 16 at 32.6 percent.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25902266/2203342647.jpg "Indiana v Oregon")
Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images
After the Michigan loss, it seemed like 3-2 in Ohio State’s last five games would do the job and get the Buckeyes in the tournament. They put themselves in a tough spot, losing the next two games, but wins over USC and Nebraska put them in a spot that, with a Quad 1 win in Bloomington, would put Ohio State in the tournament.
This. Is. March.
The Buckeyes lost by one point at home in January against the Hoosiers, but Devin Royal did not play, and Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw had a minimal impact. If the Buckeyes can get more production from the frontcourt, they will give themselves a shot in this one. Another factor in this one is the rest aspect, as Thornton played 48 minutes in the double overtime win over Nebraska.
With only three days off between that game and this one, the Buckeyes will need guys like Ques Glover and Colin White to play some minutes and take some of the burden off Thornton, Mobley, and Parrish.
ESPN BPI: Indiana 52.4%
Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
The Buckeyes head to Assembly Hall for a win-and-in game against the Hoosiers for the NCAA Tournament
The Ohio State men’s basketball team (17-13 overall, 9-10 in conference) will head to Bloomington, Indiana and the iconic Assembly Hall for what is basically an NCAA Tournament game against the Indiana Hoosiers (18-12 overall, 9-10 in conference).
Both the Buckeyes and Hoosiers have had up-and-down seasons, and in other seasons might not even be on the NCAA Tournament bubble. However, it is a historically weak bubble with teams losing left and right.
This will be the 202nd all-time meeting between Ohio State and Indiana. Officially, the Hoosiers lead the series 110-84 after taking into account six vacated games (three wins by each team).
Of late, Indiana has dominated the series, as the Hoosiers have won five of the last six meetings, including the game earlier this season in Columbus. The teams have split the last 16 meetings 8-8, with the Hoosiers holding a slight eight-point edge in the overall point total.
The last Buckeye win in Bloomington was a 55-52 victory on Feb. 10, 2019. That was also the last time the teams met in Bloomington.
In the first meeting, Ohio State erased a 10-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime, and Bruce Thornton’s three-pointer at the buzzer rattled in and out as the Hoosiers escaped with a 77-76 victory.
John Mobley Jr. led the Buckeyes with 22 points. Of note, Devin Royal did not play in this game due to injury, and it was noticed as the Hoosiers out-rebounded the Buckeyes 39-to-35 overall and 14-to-9 on the offensive glass.
The winner on Saturday will pick up another Quad 1 win to help bolster its NCAA Tournament resume, but will also claim the No. 9 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament. The No. 9 seed will open play on Thursday, while the loser will get the No. 10 seed and begin its tournament on Wednesday evening.
The Buckeyes are currently No. 36 in the NET rankings and No. 34 in KenPom.
Ohio State is coming off a 116-114 double-overtime victory over Nebraska on Tuesday evening. Four Buckeyes scored 20 or more points for the first time in program history, and the 116 points were tied for the second-most in a game in program history. Thornton led the way with 29 points and nine assists.
According to Ohio State Athletics, Thornton has averaged 23.3 points per game over the last three games and has 17 assists with just one turnover. He’s also 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. This is the first time in his career in which he’s scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games.
Preview
Ohio State is led into this one by junior point guard Bruce Thornton, who is averaging 17.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 84 percent from the free-throw line, and 43 percent from three-point range.
Devin Royal is averaging 13.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on 53 percent shooting from the field. Royal missed the first game against the Hoosiers due to injury. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. averages 13.4 points per game on 40 percent shooting from three-point range.
Micah Parrish averages 13.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. According to Ohio State Athletics, Parrish has now played in 164 career games. In those games, he’s scored 20 or more points just eight times, and five of them have come in the last 12 games.
Indiana is led into the contest by transfer center Oumar Ballo, who is averaging 13.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The Arizona transfer played 40 minutes in the first matchup, recording 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Malik Reneau averages 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Mackenzie Mgbako averages 12.3 and 4.5, respectively.
Ohio State is fifth in the conference in scoring at 79.7 points per game, while Indiana is No. 14 at 75.5 points per game. Ohio State is also third in the conference in three-point percentage at 37.5 percent, while Indiana is No. 16 at 32.6 percent.
Prediction
After the Michigan loss, it seemed like 3-2 in Ohio State’s last five games would do the job and get the Buckeyes in the tournament. They put themselves in a tough spot, losing the next two games, but wins over USC and Nebraska put them in a spot that, with a Quad 1 win in Bloomington, would put Ohio State in the tournament.
This. Is. March.
The Buckeyes lost by one point at home in January against the Hoosiers, but Devin Royal did not play, and Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw had a minimal impact. If the Buckeyes can get more production from the frontcourt, they will give themselves a shot in this one. Another factor in this one is the rest aspect, as Thornton played 48 minutes in the double overtime win over Nebraska.
With only three days off between that game and this one, the Buckeyes will need guys like Ques Glover and Colin White to play some minutes and take some of the burden off Thornton, Mobley, and Parrish.
ESPN BPI: Indiana 52.4%
Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 78, Indiana 72
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