Ohio State basketball trying to steal one vs. Northwestern

The Ohio State basketball team takes on Northwestern today at 7 pm in a game that would be a nice win if the Buckeyes could grab it while being undermanned.

The Ohio State basketball team is a banged-up squad right now. They are missing C.J. Walker due to torn ligaments in his hand in an injury that could keep him out for a sizable amount of time. There’s a chance he could miss the rest of the regular season.

On top of that, Jimmy Sotos hurt his shoulder in their last game against Rutgers. It looked ugly as he was in a lot of pain as he was led off the court. Sotos is out for tonight’s game against Northwestern, so the Buckeyes are without their top two point guards.

With that being said, it would be a nice win if the Buckeyes could get it tonight. They should have beaten Northwestern the first time they played in Evanston. Without two ballhandlers, this team loses a lot. Northwestern is beatable. If they can grab this win, they will be treading water while other people can step up.

One of those players who now has to step up is Meechie Johnson. Johnson played his first game against Rutgers on Saturday. He didn’t do a whole lot in that game. He was just a body. Now Johnson might have to play 25 minutes tonight to make up for the injuries.

It’s unclear how Chris Holtmann will handle his lineup with the injuries piling up. What is clear is that E.J. Liddell, Justice Sueing, and Duane Washington have to step up. They all have to bring their game up a few notches to keep this team competitive in the conference.

Game prediction: Ohio State 68 Northwestern 64

I have to believe that the Buckeyes take this one at home. Even without a plethora of ballhandlers, they still have more overall talent than the Wildcats. If they shoot the three as well as they did against Rutgers, they can win this game by an even wider margin.

The game is on at 7 pm on Big Ten Network tonight.