The Ohio State basketball team holds a record of 10-7 and has dropped four straight contests. They look to right the ship on the road at Nebraska. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm ET on BTN live from Lincoln, NE, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Buckeye Preview:

The Buckeyes suffered another agonizing loss this past Sunday, this time falling short in overtime to Rutgers. The Buckeyes were able to drastically improve on the defensive end, but with the free throw discrepancy and offensive struggles, they couldn’t get it done.

Brice Sensabaugh put together another 20 point performance. He hit 4 of his 6 three point attempts and also reeled in 10 boards. Sean McNeil and Zed Key were the only other Buckeyes in double figures with 11 points each.

The biggest problem that could be seen Sunday is that Chris Holtmann was sacrificing offensive flow for defense. At times, there were some really stout defense lineups on the floor, but they couldn’t generate any offensive rhythm. It should be mentioned that Rutgers is an incredible defensive team, but Ohio State’s lack of execution and inability to get easy buckets hurt them significantly.

Holtmann and his crew need to find a good balance of offense and defense that allows for flow. You can’t sacrifice one for the other and expect to close out games in this conference.

There is still much of the season ahead, and Ohio State certainly controls its own destiny. Getting things turned around against a .500 Nebraska team would be a great start. But, no game is an easy win in the Big Ten, especially on the road.

A Look at the Cornhuskers:

The Huskers hold a 9-9 record, losing three of their last four games. Their lone win came at Minnesota, a team that Ohio State lost to at home.

The projected lineup:

Emmanuel Bandoumel (G)

CJ Wilcher (G)

Sam Griesel (G)

Juwan Gary (F)

Derrick Walker Jr (C)

The Cornhuskers have a very balanced scoring team, with all five projected starters averaging 8.5+ points per game.

Derrick Walker Jr. is the leading scorer at 14.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG, and he is a 6’8” center with nearly the same build as Ohio State’s big man, Zed Key. This will certainly be a matchup to watch as the two go head-to-head for control of the paint.

Sam Griesel is a transfer from North Dakota State. Since joining Nebraska he has gone on to be the second leading scorer at 11.1 PPG while also leading the team in assists per game at 5.4. He is 6’7”, so definitely tall and physical for a guard and will be a tough matchup for the Ohio State defenders.

As shown by their 8.5+ PPG averages Bandoumel, Wilcher, and Gary can all also score the ball. Plus the Cornhuskers have scoring specialist Keisei Tominaga off the bench who adds even more threat.

Expectations:

The Buckeyes starting lineup (based off last outing):

Isaac Likekele (G)

Sean McNeil (G)

Bruce Thornton (G)

Justice Sueing (F)

Felix Okpara (C)

Holtmann as shown the willingness to change up his starting groupings. So we’ll see what he decides to go with tonight.

The Buckeyes were much improved overall at Rutgers on Sunday. If they can generate the same defensive effort while scoring more consistently they should easily get back on track.

Although the Buckeyes have lost four in a row, I believe a 9-9 Nebraska is the perfect team to get them back into the win column. I like the Buckeye’s chances of putting together a solid 40 minutes.

Score Prediction: 78-72, Ohio State

featured image via: John Mincillo, AP Photo