FIRST MATCHUP: Ohio State 73, Northwestern 57

Northwestern took care business in a tough game against Wisconsin on Sunday night in what was their sixth game in 13 days. It left a good taste in their mouths as they entered a well-deserved three-day stretch without a game.

That rest time is over now, however, as the Wildcats make their way to Ohio State for their second chance at potential revenge in a week. They didn't cash in on their first one, against Michigan, last Thursday. Now, they'll try to even the season series tonight with the Buckeyes in Columbus, a place where they've lost 37 of their last 38 games. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT (FS1).

If you missed Northwestern's last matchup against Ohio State, consider yourself lucky. The Cats lost 73-65 on their home floor to the Buckeyes in a New Year's Day game. That was the second Big Ten game of the season for the Cats, and it turned out to be not much of an indicator for how things would go in 2023. Northwestern has gone 6-4 in the games since, vaulting it into a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference and a spot in the NCAA Tournament according to bracketologists.

Ohio State's season, on the other hand, has taken quite the downward trajectory since that game. The Buckeyes promptly went on a five game losing streak and have posted a 1-9 record since Jan. 1. They are now 3-9 in conference play and firmly planted in 13th place in the Big Ten, ahead of only Minnesota.

The tale of the tape in the first matchup between these squads tells a story similar to most of Northwestern's losses this year. It might sound obvious, but the Wildcats shoot worse in their losses than in their wins. Northwestern's shooting splits were demonstrably worse than Ohio State's the first time around, as the Cats shot 28.4% from the field, 29.0% from three and 58.8% from the line, while Ohio State shot at a 46.4%, 40.0% and 75.0% in those same categories.

Part of those struggles can be attributed to an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance from Boo Buie. The senior is the Cats leading scorer with 16.1 points per game, but he only tallied 10 points in the loss, going 3-for-15 on the night. Fortunately for Northwestern, Buie has been on a bit of a hot streak as of late. He has scored 20 points in six out of the 10 games following the Ohio State loss, shooting 42.7% in the process. A big night from Buie can help the Cats reverse the Columbus curse.

Overall, free-throw shooting has improved for Northwestern. They have shot under 60% from the line just once since the Ohio State game (the loss vs. Rutgers), and are averaging 74.6% from the charity stripe, fourth-best in the conference. Three-point shooting has fluctuated a little bit more and is far less predictable.

Another issue for the Wildcats in their previous loss to Ohio State was rebounding. They were out rebounded 46-37 by the Buckeyes. But recent rebounding surges from sophomore Brooks Barnhizer's (five or more rebound in five of the last seven games) and Tydus Verhoeven (two of three) could help leading rebounder Matt Nicholson and the Wildcats control the glass.

Despite a poor conference record, Ohio State still has some weapons that could give the Cats a tough time. Northwestern is already familiar with some of them, including Brice Sensabaugh. The freshman forward dropped 18 in that early-season victory and has continued doing just about the same since, averaging 18.4 in conference play. He also had eight rebounds in that win and is averaging 6.7 boards in Big Ten contests.

Justice Sueing and Zed Key both average more than 10 points per game, which has helped Ohio State score 68.8 points per game in the conference. These three leading scorers for the Buckeyes are all forwards, which will force Northwestern to adjust defensively to account from that production down low.

It's once again important for Northwestern (16-7 overall, 7-5 Big Ten) to take care a business against a struggling team at the bottom of the conference standings. because they are about to enter a gauntlet over the next month. This is the last time that the Cats will be playing against a team that is currently under .500 in the conference until Penn State comes to town on Mar. 1. In between, they have matchups with No. 1 Purdue, No. 18 Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Maryland.

This stretch will be particularly crucial as the Wildcats fight to make the NCAA Tournament and possibly earn a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament. The path to these lofty goals starts here, with this Ohio State game, so Northwestern can ill afford to overlook it.