The Northwestern Wildcats welcome in the Ohio State Buckeyes tonight in Big Ten College Basketball action. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have the Buckeyes favored by a couple of possessions in this one on the road.
Ohio State has one of the best freshman in the country in D'Angelo Russell, an 18.6-point a game player that also leads the team in rebounding (5.1 per game) and averages almost five assists per game. Russell has made the Buckeyes a tough team to guard with his ability to stretch the floor and knock down perimeter shots seemingly at any point.
Northwestern will struggle to keep him grounded tonight. The Wildcats have lost four straight in the Big Ten and have to find a way to slow this game down and keep it in the high 50s to mid 60s. They simply cannot keep up with Ohio State in the scoring column if this game gets any higher than that. The Wildcats are coming off a loss in Ann Arbor to Michigan, a game where they took advantage of poor Michigan shooting and nearly pulled off the upset. In this game tonight grounding Ohio State won't be easy, but it's worth noting the Buckeyes are averaging 10 points less per game in conference games.
Iowa has had the recipe for beating Ohio State, knocking them off twice while allowing 65 and 67 points to the Buckeyes in those games. Iowa is big and lengthy at key positions, something Northwestern can't replicate. The Wildcats are scoring just 61 points per game in the conference, but playing at home could give them an advantage tonight. They don't shoot the basketball well and can't rebound as well as Ohio State. The Buckeyes also have the third-best shooting team in the country at 50.2 percent from the floor — if the Wildcats can disrupt the Buckeye shooting rhythm, they have a chance.
Both Bryant McIntosh and Tre Demps average almost 12 points a game for Northwestern and need to have big games. The return of JerShon Cobb gives them another guy that can knock down shots and he could play a major role as well. Ohio State, though, is just too good on the offensive end. They'll pick up the road win here tonight.
Free Pick: Ohio State 71, Northwestern 60
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