The No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes remain on the road to take on the Indiana Hoosiers, live on Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 pm ET.
The now 9-2 Buckeyes continued their winning ways against Nebraska, following a three-week pause due to COVID-19. However, this game was not void of excitement, as the Buckeyes narrowly escaped with a victory in overtime. The Buckeyes were led to victory by freshman guard Malaki Branham, who enjoyed a breakout performance. He notched a career high 35 points to go along with six rebounds, scoring 23 in the first half. This hot start was crucial as many of his teammates were ice-cold early on and the Buckeyes were rather loose with the basketball.
The Buckeyes leaned on their defense and leaders late, as EJ Liddell knocked down two key free throws, Eugene Brown blocked the final Nebraska shot to send it to OT and Jamari Wheeler iced the cake with important threes in the extra period.
Their opponent tonight, the 10-3 Indiana Hoosiers are looking to bounce back following a three-point loss to Penn State on Sunday. The Hoosiers have yet to tally a signature win starting 1-2 in conference play and losing a 2OT thriller to Syracuse. For the Hoosiers, upsetting the Buckeyes would be a perfect way to build their resume. Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is the workhorse for the Hoosiers. He leads the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks at 19.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 3 BPG. Like Liddell for the Buckeyes, shutting down Jackson-Davis is no easy task but limiting his efforts is a huge emphasis of any opposing defense. Guard Xavier Johnson and Forward Race Thompson will also be players to watch on the Hoosiers roster.
Indiana is 2.5 point favorite at home, looking for a key win to add to their resume and propel their season. The Buckeyes look to keep the momentum going following their thrilling win and resume to action. An intriguing showdown should be in order from Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Score Prediction: 75-71, Ohio State
Catch all the action on Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 pm ET.
Featured Image: Ohio State Athletics
Gabe Woodcox is a content contributor for The Silver Bulletin. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of The Ohio State University with a major of Sport Industry. Gabe has been working closely with Ohio State athletics during his sport industry tenure, writing for BuckeyesNews and working most recently with 97.1 The Fan. He is an avid Buckeye basketball and sports betting fanatic and will continue his education in a Turf Management Masters program next fall.