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Ohio State basketball vs. Rutgers: Prediction and preview

By Ryan Stano

Jan 12, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Sean McNeil (4) reacts to a foul play call by a referee during the second half of the men’s NCAA division I basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Minnesota Minnesota At Ohio State
Jan 12, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Sean McNeil (4) reacts to a foul play call by a referee during the second half of the men’s NCAA division I basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Minnesota Minnesota At Ohio State /
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This is the time of year that Ohio State basketball fans hate. Every January, the Buckeyes start to slide. This year has been no different as they have lost all three games they’ve played so far in 2023. That includes a loss to a terrible Minnesota team in which they were up double-digits late in the game.

Now they turn their attention to Rutgers. This game is being played in Piscataway and is going to be tough for the Buckeyes to win. Rutgers has some good wins on their resume, being the only team to beat Purdue and also beating IU. Frankly, they should’ve beaten Ohio State the first time they played.

That was the game in which Tanner Holden hit a buzzer-beating three to win the game. That three shouldn’t have counted because he didn’t re-establish himself in bounds before getting the ball. Because of that win, this game has revenge marked all over it for Rutgers.

Official prediction: Ohio State basketball team 64 Rutgers 72

Ohio State is in a free-fall right now. They now sit at an extremely pedestrian 10-6 on the season and still have a grueling Big Ten schedule to get through. Rutgers is a tough place to play and has been for some time for the Buckeyes. I don’t expect them to be able to win this game.

It does help that Zed Key should be back in the starting lineup. He came off the bench against Minnesota. Even though he played, he didn’t make that much of a difference in the game. If Ohio State wants to win this game, he’s going to have to be more of a force offensively.

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You can watch this game this afternoon at 2:15 PM ET on Big Ten Network. I hope the Buckeyes prove me wrong.

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