The Wisconsin Badgers complete their three-game home stretch as they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, January 31st. Tip-off is at 1:00 PM, and the Badgers are 4.5-point favorites.
The Badgers completed one of the biggest second-half comebacks in school history last Wednesday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Wisconsin, down 35-17 at halftime, scored 50 points in the second half to defeat the spirited Gophers, 67-63. John Blackwell and Nick Boyd were sensational in the second half,
as the duo combined for 37 second-half points to pace Wisconsin.
What should Badger fans know about the Ohio State Buckeyes?
Opponent Preview
Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes come to Madison with a 14-6 record, having won five of their nine games this month. Like Wisconsin, the Buckeyes have only one Quad 1 victory in the season, an 86-82 win at Northwestern.
Leading the Buckeyes in scoring is senior guard Bruce Thornton. Thornton averages 19.5 points per game this season, but has struggled to score in his last two games. Against Penn State last Monday, Thornton was held to nine total points. That was the first time this season he failed to reach double digits in scoring. In addition to his scoring, Thornton leads the Buckeyes with 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
One player that Badger fans must know is sophomore guard John Mobley Jr., who has averaged over 25 points a contest in the last four games for Ohio State. Mobley Jr. scored 25 points in the Buckeyes’ last game against Penn State, going 7-of-14 from the field, but shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
In the frontcourt is 6-foot-6 forward Devin Royal. Royal leads the Buckeyes with 5.7 rebounds per game. Next to Royal is true freshman 6-foot-8 forward Amare Bynum, who averages 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Against Penn State, center Ivan Njegovan got the start over regular center Christoph Tilly, who was out for the game for undisclosed reasons.
Score Prediction
I have been less than thrilled with how Wisconsin has played at the Kohl Center these last two games. However, I hope the Badgers learned a hard lesson against Minnesota that you cannot sleepwalk against any Big Ten team. If the Badgers learned that lesson, then they should take Ohio State for the talented team they are.
If this game were in Columbus, I would pick the Buckeyes. However, this game is at Madison, so I expect a close win for Wisconsin before the Badgers go back on the road.
Prediction: Wisconsin 79-77
