The No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) and the No. 10 Villanova Wildcats (1-0) meet up as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which is an annual series between the Big Ten and the Big East. Ohio State is 2-0 in the event with wins over Creighton (69-60) last year and Providence (72-67) in 2016. This is the fifth year of the series. The game will tip at 7:00 pm on FS1.
Opening Tip
Who: No. 10 Villanova at No. 16 Ohio State
What: Men’s Basketball
Where: Columbus, OH — Value City Arena
When: Wednesday, 7:00 pm (FS1)
Why: Because Chris Holtmann enjoys big games and so should you.
Line: Ohio State -2.5
The Buckeyes
Three-Point Territory
+ Ohio State starting senior forward Andre Wesson will be out for the immediate future with a fractured eye socket, which he suffered in the season opener against Cincinnati. He is expected to be out at least another week. Also ruled out for this game is junior wing Musa Jallow, who has yet to play this season due to ankle surgery. Jallow is now out of his boot and able to shoot from stationary positions, but he is further out than Wesson in terms of playing.
+ Ohio State has won two of three previous meetings against Villanova. The two schools last played in the 2003-04 season when the Buckeyes knocked off Villanova in the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Tony Stockman led Ohio State with 23 points in leading the Buckeyes to a 67-66 win. Terence Dials, now the director of professional development with Ohio State men’s basketball, scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in the win. Ohio State led by 15 at the end of 20 minutes and survived a late rally by the Wildcats to escape with the win. This season the Wildcats are 1-0 after the season opener vs. Army Nov. 5. Villanova won that one 97-54.
+ Freshman point guard DJ Carton is coming off the bench for the Buckeyes, but is currently fourth in minutes (23.5), second in points (11.0), second in field goal % (.727), first in three-point % (.667), fourth in rebounds (4.0), and second in assists (3.0).
Villanova Wildcats
What You Need To Know
+ Villanova makes its first visit to Columbus to meet Ohio State. These teams met in the first NCAA Final Four, in 1939 at the Palestra. The Buckeyes prevailed 53-36 on March 18, 1939 and lead the all-time series 2-1.
+ Freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl posted the first double-double by a true freshman in the Jay Wright era vs. Army, scoring 24 points to go with 13 rebounds. The Overland Park, Kan., native was tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for his efforts. The 6-9 forward was the conference’s Preseason Freshman of the Year in October.
+ The 2019-20Villanova roster features 12 players 6-4 or taller. That length could help the Wildcats on the boards. In the opening night victory over Army West Point, the Wildcats out-rebounded the Black Knights 54-26 and enjoyed a 19-2 edge in second chance points.
+ The last time Villanova started a pair of freshmen in a regular season opener, Jay Wright was in his second season as head coach. Allan Ray and Randy Foye were the newcomers back in 2002. Seventeen years later rookies Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore got the nod and helped fuel a first half burst that carried Villanova to a 97-54 victory over Army Tuesday night at Finneran Pavilion
+ Saddiq Bey was a late addition to Villanova’s Class of 2022, announcing his intention to don the Blue and White in June 2018 after originally committing to North Carolina State, but no Wildcats’ newcomer was more impactful in 2018-19 than the forward from Largo, Md. Bey was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team after averaging 8.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and connecting on .374 of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. This year, the 6-8 forward quickly made his presence known against Army West Point. In 24:02 of game action, Bey connected on 9-of-14 field goal attempts for 22 points. In addition he contributed five rebounds, two steals and an assist with zero turnovers. His plus/minus rating was +34.
