And then there was one.
The Buckeyes are left with only one game remaining in conference play, pitting them against the Wisconsin Badgers – the only Big Ten team the Buckeyes have not defeated this season. Admittedly, though, it was a close thing, with the Buckeyes holding a 15 point lead with 10 to play in the second half. Unfortunately, Jordan Taylor happened in a big way.
Amusingly, the Buckeyes are back at the top of the polls, and back at the top of Luke Wynn’s Power Rankings. This is the first time that has happened since right before the previous Wisconsin game. You just know the Wisconsonites are licking their chops for another chance to knock off #1 ranked Ohio State – for the third time this year.
No, I’m not going to link to that. It’s bad enough we’re going to have to see it again on Sunday afternoon.
The surprise may be on Wisconsin, however. Ohio State is particularly motivated for this game given that they have an opportunity to secure an outright Big Ten Basketball title with a win. There are other reasons as well, but Wisconsin is just going to have to deal with it. All that matters now is the championship.
Since beating the Buckeyes, the Badgers have gone on to a 4-1 record over their next five. The very next game after pulling the win against the Bucks, Wisconsin stumbled into Mackey Arena and tripped on the Boilermakers 70-62. That game set the Boilers back on the winning track, which they used to take out the Buckeyes the following game.
After the loss to Purdue, Wisconsin played games against Penn State (76-66 W), at Michigan (53-52 W), against Northwestern (78-63 shellacking) and just last night at Indiana (77-67 W). The Michigan game was a particular surprise, despite Michigan’s better-than-expected record. The Wolverine’s were up with second on the clock when a desperation three pointer banked hard off the backboard and through the net. The loss was heartbreaking for Michigan fans, hoping that a quality win over Wisconsin would punch their ticket for March.
Also surprising was fight Wisconsin found themselves in against Tom Crean’s squad in Assembly Hall. The Hoosier’s were able to keep it close for a large part of the game. A big run in the middle of the second half finally gave Wisconsin enough breathing room to walk away with the win. Despite Indiana’s lack-luster play the last few weeks, they were still able to give the Badgers quite a fight.
The man of the hour in the last matchup, Jordan Taylor, has been nothing short of on-fire the last couple games. In his worst game of that five game stretch he scored 13 points and 7 assists against Penn State, though he did pick up 4 fouls. Overall, he’s averaged 20.6 PPG, 5 assists and only 1.2 turnovers in the last five. Taylor has clearly stepped his game up a notch this season and will be one critical focus for the Ohio State Defense.
Jared Sullinger cannot allow himself to get into early foul trouble in this game. Not only are the Buckeyes ill-equipped to beat a team like Wisconsin without him, but it will allow the Badgers to take enough of a lead to force the Bucks out of their preferred offensive styles when Sullinger does return. OSU does not play particularly well when not all of their options are available to them. Worse yet, it could be very easy for Sullinger to pick up fouls early, if he’s focused more on revenge and less on simply playing his game. He also needs to be particularly focused on boxing out and grabbing rebounds – things that Bo Ryan’s teams do very well.
Of course, another 30 point outing from Diebler couldn’t hurt either, but I’m certainly not going to bank on it. We will quickly discover if the Buckeyes have learned better how to defend the on-ball screen into a quick three pointer that Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois used to great success against us. If the Badgers suddenly start raining three pointers like they’re going out of style, best cover your eyes and not look.
Ultimately, Ohio State should like their chances against the Badgers this week. Ken Pomeroy is currently predicting the Buckeyes by 7. Wisconsin has not played particularly well away from the friendly confines of the Kohl Center this year, and Value City Arena will not be a happy place for them on Sunday. Also, the Buckeyes have been playing particularly focused and solid basketball the last couple of weeks, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t continue.
I will finish with this – if you can go to the game do it. Not only will it be a great basketball game, but it may be your last opportunity to see these kids play in person. Don’t miss out on seeing this team play at the Schott, because basketball teams like this do not come by very often.
Last but not least, make the Schott as inhospitable as it can possibly be for those stinkin’ Badgers.
Ohio State faces Wisconsin on Sunday, March 6th at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. If you can’t make it to the game, you can join us for our Basketball LiveBlog starting at 3:30 PM Eastern Time while you enjoy the game on CBS!
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