The Ohio State men’s basketball team will look to get back in the win column after a tough road loss to Texas A&M. They host Evansville at 7:00 pm ET on B1G+, live from Value City Arena.

Evansville Purple Aces:

The Purple Aces are 1-3 to begin the season, with their lone win coming against Brescia (NAIA).

Projected Starters:

Joshua Hughes – F, #11

Gabriel Pozzato – F, #0

Tanner Cuff – G, #1

Tayshawn Comer – G, #12

Can Haffner – G, #3

The Purple Aces are led in scoring by their freshman forward from Italy, Gabriel Pozzato. He has provided 19.3 points per contest and will be a tough matchup at 6 foot 7 inches. Haffner and Comer have also averaged double digits in points per game, with 14.8 and 11.3 respectively.  The team hasn’t shaken up their starting lineup all season, so don’t expect a change against the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes will by far, be their toughest opponent faced in the early going.

Ohio State Buckeyes:

The 2-1 Buckeyes will look to move past an ugly road loss to Texas A&M. They struggled to make shots in the early going and the foul shot disparity made the comeback effort that much tougher. Ultimately, any time Ohio Stare threw a punch A&M countered, maintaining their lead until the final buzzer.

Projected Starters:

Sean Stewart – F, #13

Aaron Bradshaw – C, #4

Micah Parrish – F, #8

Bruce Thornton – G, #2

Meechie Johnson – G, #1

The Buckeyes struggled to get clean looks, thanks to a tenacious A&M defense. Pair that with sloppy play and inability to defend without fouling and the result was a hole too deep to climb out of.

Bruce Thornton led the way with 15 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. The freshman star, Juni Mobley, added 13 and brought his season average to 14.3 per game. Meechie Johnson and Micah Parrish struggled, with four turnovers each and a combined 2-12 from distance. Bradshaw and Stewart also struggled, primarily because of A&M’s physicality and unwillingness to allow easy points in the paint.

Ultimately, some tough losses are to be expected from this new group. Especially with the tough non-conference slate they face. A strong bounce back against Evansville will be much needed.

Prediction:

Ohio State is a 26.5 point favorite, on their home court, coming off a brutal loss. I expect Diebler’s group to respond with a dominate win against an outmatched opponent.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 80, Evansville 52

Featured image: Jack Gorman, Getty Images