The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2, 1-1) host Wisconsin (8-5, 1-1) Friday night at 7:00 pm on FS1. The Buckeyes come into this game following a loss to West Virginia last Sunday. The Badgers last played on Tuesday, which was a 65-37 win over Rider. Wisconsin has won three games in a row.
Opening Tip
Who: Wisconsin at No. 5 Ohio State
What: Men’s Basketball
Where: Columbus, Ohio — Value City Arena
When: Friday 7:00 pm (FS1)
Why: Because it’s been almost a month since OSU’s last Big Ten win.
Line: Ohio State -7.0
The Buckeyes
Three-Point Territory
+ Forward Kyle Young will be out for the game following an appendectomy. Young is fourth on the team in scoring (8.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.8 rpg). He has started all 13 games for the Buckeyes. In his absence, freshman forward EJ Liddell is expected to see more minutes. Liddell is third on the team in rebounding (4.1 rpg).
+ This game is officially a sellout. Ohio State is 61-18 all-time when games are sold out at Value City Arena. Ohio State is 53-15 in sold out games against the Big Ten, including a 20-11 record against ranked conference opponents. The last sellout at VCA was vs. No. 6 Michigan State Jan. 5, 2019 (L, 86-77).
+ Ohio State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin 88-71. The Buckeyes are 54-24 in Columbus and 30-46 in Madison. The teams have met five times on neutral courts with Ohio State winning four. Ohio State is 24-13 vs. Wisconsin when ranked among the Associated Press Top 25. Andre Wesson has faced the Badgers four times, most on the Ohio State roster. He averages 4.8 points and just under two rebounds in the series. Kaleb Wesson scored 19 points in his only meeting vs. the Badgers.
Wisconsin Badgers
What You Need To Know
+ In his 5th season at the helm, Greg Gard has led Wisconsin to a mark of 88-52 (.629) overall, 3rd-highest win percentage in program history. Under Gard, UW has tallied 4 wins over top-5 teams, most in the Big Ten during that span. UW has 7 wins over AP Top 10 teams (7-8, .467).
+ Wisconsin has featured a balanced offensive attack this season with all 5 starters averaging more than 9 points per contest. Twice this season, UW has had games where 6 different players scored in double figures. Since 1995, UW has had 6 score in double figures in the same game just 7 times, two of those taking place this season alone in back-to-back games.
+The Badgers rank No. 28 in the NET Rankings (thru games Jan. 1), which also ranks UW as having the 9th-toughest schedule in the nation. The Big Ten features 9 teams in the top 35 of the NET Rankings, including the Badgers. UW’s losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 53-14.
+ With the departure of Ethan Happ, Nate Reuvers has fit in nicely to a larger workload for Wisconsin this season. Reuvers has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games, and has matched his career high (22 ps) on two different occasions this year (vs. #20 Saint Mary’s, vs. Milwaukee). Reuvers has scored 20+ points 6 times in his career, 3 of those coming this season alone.
+ UW’s returning scoring leader from last year, D’Mitrik Trice has been providing more than just points this season. Trice has scored 20+ points 6 times in his career, including 2 of the last 3 games. UW is 6-0 all-time when Trice scores 20+. He broke out with a career-high 31 points vs. Milwaukee (12/21), shooting a blistering 11-for-14 from the floor (5-6 3FG). Trice added 5 reb, 3 ast and earned his first Big Ten Player of the Week honor (12/23).
