Purdue vs. Ohio State: Game Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction
The Purdue Boilermakers are taking their 19-game winning streak to a test against Ohio State at home in a match up of the top teams in the Big Ten.
Two weeks ago this game was being billed as the biggest Big Ten basketball game of the season. The Buckeyes were undefeated at 9-0 and the Boilermakers hadn’t lost with a record of 8-0. Purdue won on the night of the 25th of Jan. and Ohio State lost. This game was no longer going to be a game of undefeated teams, but both still sit at top of the standings.
Purdue had expectations of being in the top-five of the Big Ten this season. Ohio State not so much. The Buckeyes played two conference games earlier this season and entered those pair of games at 5-3. After defeating Wisconsin on the road and Michigan at home, they knew this could be a special season. They only lost once more time before league play began again. Ohio State has now played every team except one and only lost to Penn State.
The only team the Buckeyes have yet to play is Purdue. The schedule is playing out to have some really good Big Ten games right in a row. In a season where the league has struggled to wow the nation, we are going to be treated to the top team playing the second and third place (Michigan State) teams right in a row.
Granted if Purdue looses to Ohio State, the Boilermakers and Buckeyes will be tied record wise. Purdue though will more than likely still be on the one line for bracketology.
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Ohio State has not been on the road since Jan. 20 and haven’t played on an opponents home floor since Jan. 17. In fact, the Buckeyes haven’t lost a true road game yet this season. They lost three neutral site games to Gonzaga, Butler and North Carolina and two home affairs to Clemson and Penn State.
Purdue on the other hand has the narrative of not having a loss at home or on an opponents home floor. In fact, the Boilermakers haven’t recorded loss on American soil as their two losses came in Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Buckeyes were riding an eight-game winning streak before the slip up came to Penn State. They responded with a blowout of Indiana and an eight-point win over Illinois.
Another storing brewing out of Columbus is that fifth-year senior Kam Williams was suspended indefinitely before the game against the Illini for for violation of team rules. That made way for Andre Wesson to get his first career start. According to the recent report though, Williams will more than likely not play against Purdue and Wesson isn’t guaranteed to start again. Andrew Dakich or Musa Jallow could also get the nod.
The absence of Williams didn’t prevent Ohio State from winning, but it could’ve meant why they didn’t get as big of a victory as they wanted. It didn’t matter for star player Keita Bates-Diop though. He went off for 35 points against Illinois while recording a double-double with 13 rebounds. Despite the six turnovers and three fouls, Bates-Diop played 37 minutes.
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Purdue is also coming off a victory that they were expecting to be a little larger. The Boilermakers escaped the Scarlet Knights by two after Rutgers outscored Purdue 49-40 in the second half.
The biggest takeaway from that game was Carsen and Vincent Edwards went 0 for 8 from downtown. If the Boilermakers were playing almost any other team, Purdue would’ve more than likely lost.
To make matters worse, Isaac Haas shot under 50 percent from the field. Luckily Dakota Mathias shot four three-pointers, P.J. Thompson shot two of his own and the bench shot over 50 percent. What makes this team so good is that on a night where their shooter (Vincent) was off, he became the distributor and dished seven assists while Mathias scored 16 points.
What we know coming into this huge game featuring two of the best in the Big Ten, is that Purdue’s shooters can fall into slumps and Ohio State is making adjustments to their starting lineup.
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If the Buckeyes want to pull the upset over the Boilermakers it will have to be fueled through their starters. Their bench only scored eight points in the win over Illinois. Against Indiana, four out of five starters were in double-figures while the bench scored nine points. C.J. Jackson will have to have a great night at the point as he hasn’t gone over four assists in a game since Jan. 17.
The bench play will be key for Purdue. That was the difference maker against Rutgers when the Edwawrds’ couldn’t hit from deep. As I mentioned before, any other opponent would’ve found a way to beat them. The Boilermakers go through Carsen and Vincent. Haas and Matt Haarms are so dominant that when they do get touches, they capitalize. Their streak has to come to an end at some point. Right? Until then, I’m not betting against a veteran, balanced team.
Prediction: Purdue 77 Ohio State 71