Ohio St. Buckeyes on six-game roll with Purdue in town
What once looked to be Michigan State's to rule has turned into a tight race atop the Big Ten, with Wednesday's contest in Columbus crucial for Purdue and Ohio State.
Believe it or not, there are 10 other teams in the Big Ten Conference besides the Indiana Hoosiers. And just because the Hoosiers are having a bad year doesn’t mean the same for the rest of them.
We’ll see two of the most impressive teams anywhere in Division I lock up on Wednesday night when the Ohio State Buckeyes (20-6 SU, 13-13 ATS) host the Purdue Boilermakers (21-3 SU, 11-12-1 ATS).
The Boilermakers were getting plenty of ink at the start of the college hoops season as they strung together 14 consecutive wins at 7-6-1 ATS. Very nice. Then came three straight upset losses: two on the road against Wisconsin (+1½) and Northwestern (+8), and one at home against Ohio State (+9). Nobody was talking about the Boilers any more. But they’re back on the radar screen now, creeping up to No. 4 in the AP rankings after rattling off another seven wins at 4-3 ATS.
Ohio State may have twice as many losses as Purdue, but all six were against favored opponents, and all six were away from the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Purdue has yet to win a game in this building since it opened in 1998. Buckeyes supporters can also point to the absence of Evan Turner (19.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists per game) for three of those six losses. Injured college players are generally easier to replace than in the NBA, but Turner is one of those rare blue-chippers who can take over a game at this level.
Turner was back in action when these two clubs met on January 12, and he was the difference-maker with 32 points and nine rebounds against the strong Boilers defense. Purdue’s Robbie Hummel, however, was the star of the night with 35 points and 10 boards in a losing effort – sinking eight of his 13 trey attempts along the way.
This was an unusually good performance for Hummel, who owns a 34.9 percent success rate from downtown this season. He and E’Twaun Moore (36.2 percent) are the only frequent gunners on a team known more for its inside game, both offensively and defensively.
At least Hummel proved that the Buckeyes are vulnerable on the perimeter. OSU opponents are connecting on 34.4 percent of their three-pointers, just above the Division I average of 34.1 percent. That’s No. 195 out of 347 teams we’re talking about here.
It’s one of the few weaknesses on this Buckeyes team, and the enemy is following suit by loading up on three-pointers. This is one of the costs of switching Turner from swingman to point guard this year. He’s a plus defender in general, but inexperienced at this position. Opponents would rather deal with Turner than go into the paint, where Dallas Lauderdale is taking care of business with 2.5 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.
Purdue isn’t likely to get another 8-of-13 night out of Hummel, but if the Boilers can make a few three-pointers, they have a chance to take advantage of OSU’s smallish frontline. Taking the 6-foot-7 Turner off the wing means that Lauderdale (himself only 6-foot-8) is being flanked by a pair of 6-foot-5 forwards in David Lighty and William Buford. These are two very good players despite their size, and coach Thad Matta has been using more man-to-man defense this year rather than the familiar 1-3-1 zone, but it’s still a potential way in for Purdue.
The early betting odds have the Buckeyes as 3½-point favorites with a total of 134½. The 'under' has cashed in the last three times for the Buckeyes thanks in part to Matta’s flexibility on the 1-3-1 scheme. The 'under' is now 13-6 in Ohio State’s last 19 conference games. The Boilers have also turned up the defense of late with the 'under' at 4-2 in their past six contests.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern; you can catch this game on TV if you have the Big Ten Network.
What once looked to be Michigan State's to rule has turned into a tight race atop the Big Ten, with Wednesday's contest in Columbus crucial for Purdue and Ohio State.
Believe it or not, there are 10 other teams in the Big Ten Conference besides the Indiana Hoosiers. And just because the Hoosiers are having a bad year doesn’t mean the same for the rest of them.
We’ll see two of the most impressive teams anywhere in Division I lock up on Wednesday night when the Ohio State Buckeyes (20-6 SU, 13-13 ATS) host the Purdue Boilermakers (21-3 SU, 11-12-1 ATS).
The Boilermakers were getting plenty of ink at the start of the college hoops season as they strung together 14 consecutive wins at 7-6-1 ATS. Very nice. Then came three straight upset losses: two on the road against Wisconsin (+1½) and Northwestern (+8), and one at home against Ohio State (+9). Nobody was talking about the Boilers any more. But they’re back on the radar screen now, creeping up to No. 4 in the AP rankings after rattling off another seven wins at 4-3 ATS.
Ohio State may have twice as many losses as Purdue, but all six were against favored opponents, and all six were away from the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Purdue has yet to win a game in this building since it opened in 1998. Buckeyes supporters can also point to the absence of Evan Turner (19.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists per game) for three of those six losses. Injured college players are generally easier to replace than in the NBA, but Turner is one of those rare blue-chippers who can take over a game at this level.
Turner was back in action when these two clubs met on January 12, and he was the difference-maker with 32 points and nine rebounds against the strong Boilers defense. Purdue’s Robbie Hummel, however, was the star of the night with 35 points and 10 boards in a losing effort – sinking eight of his 13 trey attempts along the way.
This was an unusually good performance for Hummel, who owns a 34.9 percent success rate from downtown this season. He and E’Twaun Moore (36.2 percent) are the only frequent gunners on a team known more for its inside game, both offensively and defensively.
At least Hummel proved that the Buckeyes are vulnerable on the perimeter. OSU opponents are connecting on 34.4 percent of their three-pointers, just above the Division I average of 34.1 percent. That’s No. 195 out of 347 teams we’re talking about here.
It’s one of the few weaknesses on this Buckeyes team, and the enemy is following suit by loading up on three-pointers. This is one of the costs of switching Turner from swingman to point guard this year. He’s a plus defender in general, but inexperienced at this position. Opponents would rather deal with Turner than go into the paint, where Dallas Lauderdale is taking care of business with 2.5 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.
Purdue isn’t likely to get another 8-of-13 night out of Hummel, but if the Boilers can make a few three-pointers, they have a chance to take advantage of OSU’s smallish frontline. Taking the 6-foot-7 Turner off the wing means that Lauderdale (himself only 6-foot-8) is being flanked by a pair of 6-foot-5 forwards in David Lighty and William Buford. These are two very good players despite their size, and coach Thad Matta has been using more man-to-man defense this year rather than the familiar 1-3-1 zone, but it’s still a potential way in for Purdue.
The early betting odds have the Buckeyes as 3½-point favorites with a total of 134½. The 'under' has cashed in the last three times for the Buckeyes thanks in part to Matta’s flexibility on the 1-3-1 scheme. The 'under' is now 13-6 in Ohio State’s last 19 conference games. The Boilers have also turned up the defense of late with the 'under' at 4-2 in their past six contests.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern; you can catch this game on TV if you have the Big Ten Network.
