Indiana @ Ohio St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2020 ) Ohio St. 54, Indiana 66

Ohio State will be without freshman point guard D.J. Carton and Indiana will be attempting to snap a two-game losing streak when the Big Ten teams meet Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Indiana downed Ohio State 66-54 in the first meeting this season Jan. 11 in Bloomington, Ind.

Ohio State on Thursday announced that Carton would be taking an undetermined time away from the program for personal reasons. Shortly afterward, he followed with an Instagram post saying he's dealing with some mental health issues. The team's third-leading scorer has been a major contributor in his first college season, and he had 10 points, three assists and seven turnovers in the first meeting with Indiana. Since Indiana's victory over Ohio State, the Hoosiers have lost three of five, including two in the past week to 15th-ranked Maryland and No. 23 Penn State.

TIME: Noon ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT INDIANA (15-6, 5-5 Big Ten): After a big win at home over No. 14 Michigan State on Jan. 23, the Hoosiers were unable to sustain the momentum and were plagued by 17 turnovers in a 64-49 loss at Penn State on Wednesday. Indiana shot poorly (33.3 percent from the field, 18.2 percent on 3-pointers) and finished with a season-low point total after producing a string of strong offensive performances. Freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis remains the team's leading scorer and rebounder at 14 points and 7.9 boards per game.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (13-7, 3-6): The Buckeyes return home for their first action since a 71-59 victory Sunday over Northwestern in which Carton scored a team-high 17 points to help end a two-game losing streak during a stretch of six losses in seven games. Without Carton on Saturday against Indiana, inconsistent guards C.J. Walker, Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. will have to step up their effort. Washington played eight minutes in the first meeting with Indiana and subsequently was suspended for a game before returning and scoring 40 points in the past three contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State's leading scorer and rebounder, responded after a poor shooting performance in a home loss to Minnesota with 11 points and 10 rebounds Sunday.

2. Ohio State has lost two of its last three Big Ten games in Value City Arena, bucking a conference trend that has seen home teams lose only 14 times in 68 games.

3. Indiana shoots more free throws than any other Big Ten team (509) but the Hoosiers have been to the foul line only 10 times in each of the past two games to put a dent in their scoring production.

PREDICTION: Indiana 67, Ohio State 64