Morgan St. @ Ohio St. preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 9, 2013 ) Morgan St. 50, Ohio St. 89

Ninth-ranked Ohio State takes aim at its seventh consecutive victory to start the season in a Black Friday game against Morgan State. The Buckeyes return to Value City Arena after beating Kent State 71-52 in a physical affair Monday night in St. John Arena, their former home located just down the street from their current building.

A turkey hangover might be the only thing that slows Ohio State down against Morgan State. The Buckeyes have never lost to a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Bears have already accumulated five losses in the first month of the season. This game will serve as a tuneup for Ohio State's ACC/Big Ten Challenge showdown with No. 4 North Carolina on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill, N.C. Morgan State has lost three in a row and has yet to face a team of Ohio State's caliber.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT MORGAN STATE (3-5): The Bears, picked in preseason to finished eighth in the MEAC, played three games in The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase last weekend and lost all three, falling to Liberty 89-48, Milwaukee 62-57 and Evansville 115-112 in triple overtime. Senior guard Stanley Davis, one of Morgan State's three returning starters from last season, leads the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game and also averages 5.5 rebounds. Junior forward Troy Baxter, a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast and UNLV who finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds in the triple-OT loss to Evansville, ranks first on the team in rebounding with 6.6 per game and averages 10.4 points.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (6-0): The Buckeyes have shown early in the season that they're one of the top defensive teams in the country, holding opponents to 52 points per game and outscoring them by 24.3 points per game. Only one of their foes' top players has managed to score in double figures. Ohio State has also limited opponents to 32.2 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from 3-point range while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.

TIP-INS

1. Ohio State junior C Kaleb Wesson maintained the team lead with 12.7 points and 9.5 rebounds after he collected 17 points and six rebounds versus Kent State.

2. Ohio State sophomore G Duane Washington Jr. played what might be his best game of the season the last time out with 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds against Kent State, joining Wesson and freshman D.J. Carton as Ohio State's three players averaging in double figures (10.3 points).

3. First-year Morgan State coach Kevin Broadus is familiar with Ohio State after serving as an assistant on Mark Turgeon's staff at Maryland.

PREDICTION: Ohio State 87, Morgan State 54