Preview-Ohio State at Northwestern

Tonight, Wednesday, January 24, 8:00 PM

#5 Ohio State (16-3 4-1) at Northwestern (11-8 1-5)

TV-locally on CBS Channel 10

 

OSU likely starters, stat leaders

Mike Conley, junior guard, 6.8 assists/game

Ivan Harris, senior forward

Ron Lewis, senior guard

Jamar Butler, junior guard

Greg Oden, freshman center, 15.3 points/game, 29.7 minutes/game, 9.5 rebounds/game

 

Northwestern likely starters, stat leaders

Tim Doyle, senior guard/forward, 34.6 minutes/game, 5.5 assists/game

Craig Moore, sophomore guard

Sterling Williams, sophomore guard/forward

Kevin Coble, freshman forward, 12.1 points/game, 4.8 rebounds/game

Vince Scott, senior center

 

Ponder this for a moment, OSU has three loses, all three of those teams are ranked ahead of Ohio State.... That sounds good right? Well there is one point of concern, all three of thos loses were on the road, and OSU has only played five away games. You may be thinking, "Ok we just killed these guys a week ago in Columbus." You are correct, although for this matchup not only has the location changed, but the Wildcats now have their leading scorer and rebounder back. Kevin Coble returned to the team for the victory at Minnesota, he played 29 minutes, shot 50%, had 13 points and four rebounds. You may also be thinking, "Haven't we beat them 14 straight times?" Again you are correct. I think it is likely that streak will continue, but I am trying to tell you that it will likely be much closer than the 73-41 game last week. Here are some stats to consider, in the last game the Wildcats shot 32% from the field, 38% from beyond the three point line, and they only had two free throw attempts. It is likely those below average stats will change in this game. If they hit shots, the annoying Princeton Offense could cause some issues, which I described in this previous post. It is also likely that Northwestern will be reluctant to play the 1-3-1 defense that point guard Mike Conley slashed through. Conley had seven field goals and 10 assists in that game. That means he had a hand in 17 of the 25 baskets. Conley has been turning it on as of late, he leads the conference in assists/game, steals/game and assists/turnover margin. The Buckeyes have shot very well from the free throw line, they are 69.8% for the season and 88% in the last three games. Oden, still shooting with his opposite hand, has hit 13 consecutive free throws.