The No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes return home to play Northwestern at 5:30 pm ET from Value City Arena on BTN.

The Buckeyes fell to 9-3 following a road loss to Indiana on Thursday night. After a sloppy first half in which the Buckeyes struggled to score the basketball and had numerous careless turnovers, they were lucky to only trail by three points.

However, as the shooting woes carried into the second half, the Hoosiers caught fire and stepped on the gas. When the final horn sounded the Buckeyes had lost by 16 and Trayce Jackson-Davis had tallied 27 points and 12 boards, in a dominant performance. A combination of poor shooting, carelessness with the basketball, and obvious fatigue lead to an ugly night for the Buckeyes. A bounce back game against Northwestern is essential for a team whose schedule doesn’t get any easier.

Northwestern enters the contest with a record of 8-4, falling to Penn State by four points on Wednesday night. They are led in scoring by forward Pete Nance and guard Boo Buie with both scoring nearly 16 points per game. However, they also have seen guard Chase Audige return to action the past 5 games following a hip injury, a player that put up 25 against the Buckeyes last season. Northwestern lives and dies by their guard play, playing solid defense and looking to take advantage of turnovers and easy buckets in transition.

The Buckeyes will need to see much improved shooting from everyone if they look to beat the Wildcats. A Northwestern team that plays a scrappy brand of basketball will most likely hang around all day if Ohio State lets them. With now two games under their belts since their extended layoff, let’s see if Chris Holtmann’s team is up to the task. The keys to victory for both sides will be solid guard play, 3-point shooting, and controlling the glass.

The Buckeyes are favored by 7.5 points.

Score Prediction: 70-66, Ohio State

Catch all the action on BTN at 5:30 pm ET.

Feature Image: Trevor Ruszkowski, USA TODAY Sports