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Ohio State vs Northwestern: Buckeyes need a win

By Shayne Nissen

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 20: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts from the sideline in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during their game at Madison Square Garden on January 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 20: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts from the sideline in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during their game at Madison Square Garden on January 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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With two games left in the regular season, the Ohio State Buckeyes may be playing the team with the worst record in the Big Ten but it is a must win game.

A loss to Northwestern could spell disaster for Ohio State which sit’s on the bubble for an invite to the NCAA tournament.

In their previous match up with the Wildcats, the Buckeyes were able to win the game but their offense still struggled. They shot 20% from the three point line while scoring just 63 points in the 14 point victory.

Obviously the defense played up to par though as they held the Wildcats to just 31% from the field and 17% from beyond the arc. However, Ohio State was led by sophomore center Kaleb Wesson, someone who will not be in the lineup against Northwestern this time around due to his suspension. He had 22 points on 8/14 shooting and also led the Buckeyes with 8 rebounds.

Without Wesson it could spell trouble for the Buckeyes. Even though the Wildcats find themselves in the midst of a 10 game losing streak, the first matchup was close for much of the game and without the big center it could have ended in a loss.

That being said, Jaedon LeDee and Kyle Young will need to step up in this one as I said before the Purdue game too. LeDee led the team in scoring against the Boilermakers but got a lot of those buckets in garbage time and played less than stellar defense. Young had 8 in the loss.

The Buckeyes will need more than that if they want to go on the road and defeat the Wildcats in this one.

The hard truth of this is, neither one of these guys are going to be able to lead this team on the offensive end. As much as I say they need to step up, that is more directed towards the defensive end.

On offense, it will be perimeter players who have to step up for the Buckeyes.

C.J. Jackson is the teams second leading scorer at 12 points per game and has shot the ball a little better as of late. Kaleb Wesson’s big brother Andre will need to step up as well.

Both of these guys have shown the ability to score in other outings. Jackson had 20 in a win against Rutgers earlier in the season and A. Wesson exploded for 22 in a loss to Purdue.

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The Buckeyes will need scoring outbursts similar to this as well as quality interior defense to walk away with a road win against Northwestern, and further cement their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats will send out a decent big man of their own in senior Derek Pardon who averaging just under 14 points per game as well as 8 rebounds per game. Expect Northwestern to attack on the interior to gain advantage of Ohio State without K. Wesson.

Senior guard Vic Law is the Wildcats’ leading scorer on the season averaging 15 a game as well as bringing down 6 rebounds per game. Luther Mohammed is probably going to be tasked with slowing him down similar to the task he was set with against Purdue with Carsen Edwards.

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At any level, the Buckeyes need to hand the Wildcats their 11th straight loss or suffer the major consequences.

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