It is time for Ohio State basketball’s first real test.
After three “warm-up” games against mid-majors, two of which were probably a little closer than Buckeye fans would have hoped, Ohio State will take on Xavier tonight at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. Tipoff is at 6:30pm.
These two teams have met one time previously. Back in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, No. 9-seed Xavier led by three points with just a few seconds remaining before No. 1-overall seed Ohio State’s Ron Lewis hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer to send the game into overtime.
OSU vs. Xavier. Tonight. pic.twitter.com/M86Ox6UVIv
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) November 18, 2021
Ohio State ended up winning the game in overtime 78-71.
So far this season, Ohio State is 3-0 and coming off their most lopsided victory of the season, an 89-58 obliteration of Bowling Green. The Buckeyes are led by forward E.J. Liddell, who is averaging a team-high 22.3 points this year. Zed Key, Jamari Wheeler, and Kyle Young round out the top contributors so far this season.
Xavier finds themselves at 2-0 so far as the Musketeers also recently defeated an in-state foe, knocking off Kent State 73-59. They are led by senior guard Paul Scruggs, who leads the team in both points (20.0 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg). Indiana transfer Jerome Hunter, a name that should be familiar to Buckeye fans, is Xavier’s top rebounder so far.
Tipoff is at 6:30 pm. The game can be watched on FS1.
Featured image via: AP Photo, Phil Long
Dave is the founder of The Silver Bulletin. After starting his own venture, Dave wrote for Eleven Warriors for four years whilst a student at The Ohio State University. After graduating in May of 2021 with a degree in marketing, the writing bug returned and The Silver Bulletin was born.