Brett Ludwiczak
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Minnesota: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State will look to put Friday’s loss to Michigan State behind them when they hit the road for the first time in 2025 to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
After closing out 2024 with wins over Valparaiso, Kentucky, and Indiana State, Ohio State saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Friday night, losing at Value City Arena to Michigan State 69-62. The setback against the Spartans dropped the Buckeyes’ record this year to 9-5, with a 1-2 mark in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes started off Friday’s tilt sluggish, heading into halftime trailing Michigan State 37-29. Jake Diebler’s team came out sharper in the second half, erasing the deficit to take a 50-49 lead with 8:47 left following a jumper by Bruce Thornton. The lead wouldn’t last long, as the Spartans reeled off an 8-0 run to take the lead for good. Despite Michigan State shooting just 3-18 from three-point range, Ohio State had no answer for Szymon Zapala, who scored a team-high 15 points for Tom Izzo’s squad.
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Micah Parrish returned to the court after missing the victory against Indiana State recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against Kentucky. Parrish played 25 minutes against the Spartans, leading the team with 13 points. Bruce Thornton was the only other Buckeye to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 10 points. Not only was Thornton not able to recapture the scoring magic from the previous two games when he scored 30 points against Kentucky and 33 points against Indiana State, but the guard committed an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
It’s tough to get a full read on this Buckeye basketball team since we haven’t truly seen them at full strength this season. Ques Glover was injured early in the season, Aaron Bradshaw missed a number of games after he was suspended for an investigation into an issue off the court, and now Meechie Johnson Jr. hasn’t played since the Auburn game after taking a leave from the team. Glover and Bradshaw recently returned to the team, each playing in the last three games. Glover has scored at least nine points in each of those three contests, while Bradshaw has contributed at least eight points in those games.
Now Ohio State will turn its attention to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The teams split their two meetings last year, with the Buckeyes winning 84-74 in Columbus in December, and the Golden Gophers returning serve 88-79 in Minneapolis in February. Bruce Thornton had outstanding performances in both games, scoring 26 in the first meeting, followed by 25 points on the road. Ohio State is 91-62 in the all-time series, but Minnesota holds a 40-30 edge at Williams Arena, which opened back in 1928.
Minnesota enters tonight’s game seeking their first Big Ten win of the season. The Golden Gophers have lost their first three conference games of the season, with the latest being an 81-61 defeat at Purdue on Thursday night. Minnesota trailed the Boilermakers by just a point at halftime before Purdue took control in the second half and put some distance on the Golden Gophers.
The loss dropped Minnesota to 8-6 on the season. Head coach Ben Johnson is in his fourth season in charge of the program, posting a 49-60 record since taking over for Richard Pitino Jr. Last year the Golden Gophers made the NIT, falling to Indiana State in the second round. The last time Minnesota made the NCAA Tournament was back in 2019, when they beat Louisville before losing to Michigan State in the second round.
Dawson Garcia scored a team-high 20 points in Thursday’s loss, his eighth game reaching that mark this season. Garcia is currently fourth in the Big Ten in scoring., averaging 19.1 points per game. The senior led the team in scoring and rebounding last year, the first Minnesota player to achieve that feat since Jordan Murphy in the 2017-18 season.
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The only other Golden Gopher to reach double figures on Thursday night against Purdue was Lu’Cye Patterson, who finished with 14 points, as well as eight rebounds. Along with scoring at least 10 points in seven of the last nine games, the senior from Minneapolis is first in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
One player who struggled against Purdue was Mike Mitchell Jr. The senior who transferred into the program prior to last season from Pepperdine finished with just four points on 2-10 shooting over 37 minutes. The guard is averaging 12 points per game after missing seven games earlier this season because of injury. Last year Mitchell was quiet against the Buckeyes, scoring just 12 points over the two meetings between the teams.
Even though Minnesota has 10 seniors on their roster, which is tied with USC for most in the Big Ten, one of the most intriguing players is Issac Asuma. The freshman guard was a top 100 recruit coming out of high school. Despite averaging just 5.1 points this season, Asuma is definitely a player to keep an eye on in the future as he acclimates to college basketball and what Johnson asks him to do on the court.
A key acquisition in the transfer portal during the offseason for the Golden Gophers was guard Femi Odukale. The senior is now at his fourth school after starting his career at Pitt, moving to Seton Hall after two seasons, then heading out west to New Mexico State last year. Odukale is averaging 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this year.
It’s never easy to win on the road in Big Ten, and apparently it is even tougher for Ohio State to win in January. After slumps in the first month of the calendar year the last few years, the Buckeyes started out 2025 with a loss on Friday night. Despite the setback, there is still hope for Jake Diebler’s squad.
Ohio State has played hard this year despite missing pieces throughout the season. Things are starting to come back together, and Ques Glover and Aaron Bradshaw are back in the fold. Since so many players have missed time at points this year, the team is still trying to find comfort in playing together. A game on the road against a struggling team could go a long way to building the team’s confidence for the rest of the season.
What the Buckeyes are going to need to do tonight is keep tabs on Dawson Garcia. If there is one Golden Gopher that can lead his team to victory, it is Garcia. If Bruce Thornton and company can rattle Garcia early, they’ll be in good shape since Minnesota struggles offensively, only averaging 67.4 points per game this season.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 74.2%
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Ohio State will look to put Friday’s loss to Michigan State behind them when they hit the road for the first time in 2025 to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
After closing out 2024 with wins over Valparaiso, Kentucky, and Indiana State, Ohio State saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Friday night, losing at Value City Arena to Michigan State 69-62. The setback against the Spartans dropped the Buckeyes’ record this year to 9-5, with a 1-2 mark in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes started off Friday’s tilt sluggish, heading into halftime trailing Michigan State 37-29. Jake Diebler’s team came out sharper in the second half, erasing the deficit to take a 50-49 lead with 8:47 left following a jumper by Bruce Thornton. The lead wouldn’t last long, as the Spartans reeled off an 8-0 run to take the lead for good. Despite Michigan State shooting just 3-18 from three-point range, Ohio State had no answer for Szymon Zapala, who scored a team-high 15 points for Tom Izzo’s squad.
Micah Parrish returned to the court after missing the victory against Indiana State recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against Kentucky. Parrish played 25 minutes against the Spartans, leading the team with 13 points. Bruce Thornton was the only other Buckeye to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 10 points. Not only was Thornton not able to recapture the scoring magic from the previous two games when he scored 30 points against Kentucky and 33 points against Indiana State, but the guard committed an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
It’s tough to get a full read on this Buckeye basketball team since we haven’t truly seen them at full strength this season. Ques Glover was injured early in the season, Aaron Bradshaw missed a number of games after he was suspended for an investigation into an issue off the court, and now Meechie Johnson Jr. hasn’t played since the Auburn game after taking a leave from the team. Glover and Bradshaw recently returned to the team, each playing in the last three games. Glover has scored at least nine points in each of those three contests, while Bradshaw has contributed at least eight points in those games.
Preview
Now Ohio State will turn its attention to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The teams split their two meetings last year, with the Buckeyes winning 84-74 in Columbus in December, and the Golden Gophers returning serve 88-79 in Minneapolis in February. Bruce Thornton had outstanding performances in both games, scoring 26 in the first meeting, followed by 25 points on the road. Ohio State is 91-62 in the all-time series, but Minnesota holds a 40-30 edge at Williams Arena, which opened back in 1928.
Minnesota enters tonight’s game seeking their first Big Ten win of the season. The Golden Gophers have lost their first three conference games of the season, with the latest being an 81-61 defeat at Purdue on Thursday night. Minnesota trailed the Boilermakers by just a point at halftime before Purdue took control in the second half and put some distance on the Golden Gophers.
The loss dropped Minnesota to 8-6 on the season. Head coach Ben Johnson is in his fourth season in charge of the program, posting a 49-60 record since taking over for Richard Pitino Jr. Last year the Golden Gophers made the NIT, falling to Indiana State in the second round. The last time Minnesota made the NCAA Tournament was back in 2019, when they beat Louisville before losing to Michigan State in the second round.
Dawson Garcia scored a team-high 20 points in Thursday’s loss, his eighth game reaching that mark this season. Garcia is currently fourth in the Big Ten in scoring., averaging 19.1 points per game. The senior led the team in scoring and rebounding last year, the first Minnesota player to achieve that feat since Jordan Murphy in the 2017-18 season.
The only other Golden Gopher to reach double figures on Thursday night against Purdue was Lu’Cye Patterson, who finished with 14 points, as well as eight rebounds. Along with scoring at least 10 points in seven of the last nine games, the senior from Minneapolis is first in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
One player who struggled against Purdue was Mike Mitchell Jr. The senior who transferred into the program prior to last season from Pepperdine finished with just four points on 2-10 shooting over 37 minutes. The guard is averaging 12 points per game after missing seven games earlier this season because of injury. Last year Mitchell was quiet against the Buckeyes, scoring just 12 points over the two meetings between the teams.
Even though Minnesota has 10 seniors on their roster, which is tied with USC for most in the Big Ten, one of the most intriguing players is Issac Asuma. The freshman guard was a top 100 recruit coming out of high school. Despite averaging just 5.1 points this season, Asuma is definitely a player to keep an eye on in the future as he acclimates to college basketball and what Johnson asks him to do on the court.
A key acquisition in the transfer portal during the offseason for the Golden Gophers was guard Femi Odukale. The senior is now at his fourth school after starting his career at Pitt, moving to Seton Hall after two seasons, then heading out west to New Mexico State last year. Odukale is averaging 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this year.
Prediction
It’s never easy to win on the road in Big Ten, and apparently it is even tougher for Ohio State to win in January. After slumps in the first month of the calendar year the last few years, the Buckeyes started out 2025 with a loss on Friday night. Despite the setback, there is still hope for Jake Diebler’s squad.
Ohio State has played hard this year despite missing pieces throughout the season. Things are starting to come back together, and Ques Glover and Aaron Bradshaw are back in the fold. Since so many players have missed time at points this year, the team is still trying to find comfort in playing together. A game on the road against a struggling team could go a long way to building the team’s confidence for the rest of the season.
What the Buckeyes are going to need to do tonight is keep tabs on Dawson Garcia. If there is one Golden Gopher that can lead his team to victory, it is Garcia. If Bruce Thornton and company can rattle Garcia early, they’ll be in good shape since Minnesota struggles offensively, only averaging 67.4 points per game this season.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 74.2%
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 75, Minnesota 66
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