Minneapolis, MN (My Sportsbook) - Top-25 foes meet in Minneapolis this afternoon, as the 21st-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers play host to the 24th- ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Big Ten action from Williams Arena.
The Golden Gophers have enjoyed home-cooking this season, as 12 of their 13 games thus far have taken place at Williams Arena. However, the start of Big Ten play was not much fun for Tubby Smith's team, as Minnesota fell at home to nationally-ranked Michigan State on Wednesday, 70-58.
The Buckeyes have also only experienced defeat on one occasion this year, that being a rather humbling 76-48 pasting at the hands of West Virginia on December 27th. However, Thad Matta's squad was able to put that loss in the rearview mirror, opening league play on Wednesday, with a hard-fought 68-65 win over Iowa.
The Buckeyes hold a significant edge in the all-time series (75-47), although these two programs split a pair of games last year, with each winning on its home floor.
Jon Diebler went off for a career-high 27 points, but it was three late free throws from Evan Turner that held off the Hawkeyes and gave OSU a huge win at home in their Big Ten opener. Diebler was 8-of-12 from the floor and hit on seven three-pointers to pace the team in scoring. William Buford poured in 16 points in support, while Turner chipped in with 11. The Buckeyes were able to convert 52.3 percent from the floor in the game and definitely benefited from turning the ball over just nine times, compared to 14 miscues by Iowa. Not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch (66.8 ppg), Ohio State is still enjoying a +10.2 scoring margin thanks to stellar defensive play, limiting foes to just 56.6 ppg, on .388 shooting. Despite leading the team in turnovers (35), Turner has done much more good than bad, pacing the Buckeyes in scoring (15.7 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg), assists (35) and steals (27). Diebler has used his 41.2 percent accuracy from long range to average 11.5 ppg. The loss of David Lighty (9.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) to a broken foot in mid-December doesn't help in terms of scoring depth, as players like Buford (8.5 ppg), Dallas Lauderdale (7.4 ppg) and Jeremie Simmons (7.4 ppg) will need to step up.
Minnesota had no answer for MSU's Kalin Lucas, who erupted for 24 points in leading the Spartans to a 12-point win over the previously unbeaten Golden Gophers. The Gophers certainly struggled in the paint, as they allowed 13 offensive boards to Michigan State, a big part in MSU's 49-27 edge on the boards as a whole. Offensively, Minnesota's frontline was neutralized, with the three starters up front combining for a mere seven points. Guards Al Nolen and Lawrence Westbrook provided a limited spark offensively, posting 14 and 11 points, respectively. The Gophers are a defensive-minded team that needs to perform well at that end of the floor to make things happen offensively. The team has done a good job in that regard for most of the season, allowing just 62.2 ppg on a meager .388 shooting. Westbrook leads a shallow scoring pool with his 12.8 ppg. Blake Hoffarber ranks second on the team with 10.2 ppg, while Damian Johnson is closing in on double figures at 9.9 ppg.
