Big Ten foes will lock horns when the Ohio State Buckeyes (14-10) play the Northwestern Wildcats (16-8) at Value City Arena. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and can be seen on BTN.
The Buckeyes are hoping to rebound after their 79-68 loss to Wisconsin in their last matchup. JaQuan Lyle was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-58 win against Minnesota in their last game. Tre Demps led the game in scoring by accounting for 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Buckeyes winning the first matchup 65-56. Kam Williams had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 21 points, two rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block, and five three-pointers.
The Buckeyes have gone 14-10 Straight Up (SU) and 12-12 Against The Spread (ATS). The Buckeyes have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 63.5 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 70.6 points per game. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Ohio State’s stingy defense. The Buckeyes are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 66.3 points per game. Ohio State’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Buckeyes allow a .394 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Buckeyes, ranking 15th in the country in blocks per game with 5.6.
In the other locker room, the Wildcats have records of 11-11-2 ATS and 16-8 SU. The Wildcats are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 14th in Division I at 1.54. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Wildcats allow just 66.5 points per game, ranking them 50th in the nation.
In their previous meeting this season, Ohio State beat Northwestern, bumping its SU record to 10-0 over Northwestern in their most recent meetings. The Wildcats lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – NW, ATS Winner – NW
Notes
Ohio State scores an average of just 70.6 points per game (ranked 179th). Northwestern ranks 50th in points allowed, giving up 66.5 points per game.
Northwestern scores just 71.2 points per away game (ranked 120th). Ohio State ranks 23rd in points allowed at home, giving up 60.7 points.
The Northwestern Wildcats rank 72nd for their offensive rating of 111.0. The Ohio State Buckeyes have a defensive rating of 97.3 (ranked 57th).
Ohio State has an average field goal percentage of 44.3%. Northwestern is a poor 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Ohio State Buckeyes rank higher based on their field goal percentage (160th) than their effective field goal percentage (189th). The Northwestern Wildcats rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (80th) than their field goal percentage (118th).
Northwestern ranks 35th in assists, recording 16.2 per game. Ohio State performs worse at 274th with 12.0 assists per game.
Ohio State, the 15th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.6 per game. Northwestern ranks 90th with 4.2.
Northwestern ranks 175th in offensive rebounds, while Ohio State ranks at 52nd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Ohio State forces a turnover rate of 18.0%. When Northwestern turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 5-3 record.
