Minnesota (6-8, 0-4) has played better basketball in their last two matchups with Wisconsin and Nebraska, but that didn't translate to wins. The search for their first Big Ten victory doesn't get any easier on Thursday night with a trip to Ohio State.
Ohio State (10-5, 2-2) is on a two-game losing streak of their own after suffering a two-point loss to Purdue and seven-point defeat at Maryland. The Terps hit the Buckeyes with a 14-0 run to start the second half that helped secure a big win.
The Buckeyes were No.24 in the AP Poll last week, but now find themselves unranked and looking to get back on track.
TGR takes a closer look at the matchup below, including rankings, projected starters for Ohio State, and stats comparisons.
TV: FS1
WHO: Minnesota at Ohio State
WHEN: 5:30 PM (CST) - Thursday, January 12th
WHERE: Value City Arena - Columbus, Ohio
RANKINGS COMPARISON - MINNESOTA | OHIO STATE
ESPN BPI: No. 192 | No. 8
KENPOM: No. 192 | No. 12
SAGARIN: No. 160 | No. 14
NET RANKINGS: No. 235 | No. 14
NOTES: Sensabaugh is the straw that stirs the drink for the Buckeyes, scoring over 20 points in Ohio State's last two games. Sueing dropped 15 against Purdue and followed that up with 21 points against Maryland.
NOTES: Minnesota's offense seems to be progressing, specifically with better ball movement in their sets. However, a bad second-half start and getting manhandled by Nebraska in the paint equaled another close loss for the Gophers. Jamison Battle led Minnesota in scoring with 20 points, but continues to struggle from the field and had a forgettable final minute in overtime after forcing a bad pass to Pharrel Payne that caused a turnover and air-mailing a three-point attempt coming out of a timeout.
PREDICTION: Ohio State 78, Minnesota 69
============================
- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.
- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @AlexCarlsonTGR, @SeanW_Rivals, @DylanCC_FB, @JaredHalus
- SUBSCRIBE to The Gopher Report.
