Rutgers @ Ohio St. preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Rutgers 62, Ohio St. 76

Now that Rutgers has clinched its first winning season in 14 years, the Scarlet Knights are hoping to keep the momentum going Wednesday night in a Big Ten game at Ohio State. But road wins have been few and far between for Rutgers, which is 1-7 away from home.

The Scarlet Knights' only win outside of Piscataway came Jan. 3 at Nebraska. They avoided a major stumble at home Sunday, rallying from 18 points down to defeat Big Ten cellar-dwelling Northwestern 77-73 in overtime to improve their record to 16-0 at the RAC. Ohio State's three-game winning streak ended Sunday with a 70-57 loss at Wisconsin. The Buckeyes return home having never lost to Rutgers in Columbus in four previous meetings, but have dropped two Big Ten games in Value City Arena in the past month.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT RUTGERS (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten): The Scarlet Knights, picked in preseason to finish 12th in the Big Ten, have surprised everyone to this point as one of the conference's best teams and a strong contender for their first NCAA Tournament berth in 29 years. They're playing with a toughness and relentlessness that's reflected in a plus-7.3 rebounding margin and opponents averaging 61.4 points and 38 percent shooting from the field per game. Ron Harper Jr. (11.3 points per game) and Myles Johnson (8.1 rebounds per game) lead in the team in scoring and rebounding, and Geo Baker averages 10.0 points and a team-best 3.6 assists.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (15-8, 5-7): The Buckeyes seemed to have turned a corner after a victory last week at Michigan extended their win streak to three, but they were hurt by 14 turnovers and 12 Wisconsin 3-pointers in Sunday's loss. Kaleb Wesson, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, followed a monster game against Michigan with eight points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field and four turnovers against Wisconsin. Ohio State's three guards - Luther Muhammad, CJ Walker and Duane Washington Jr. - combined for 24 points but were 7-for-20 from the floor (2-for-9 on 3-point shots) and had four assists.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Baker scored 23 of his 25 points after halftime in the win over Northwestern that snapped the Scarlet Knights' two-game losing streak.

2. Muhammad continues to wear a brace for a shoulder injury, which has contributed to his 35.4 percent shooting from the field this season.

3. Rutgers and Ohio State (61.6) are second and third in the Big Ten in fewest points allowed per game.

PREDICTION: Rutgers 65, Ohio State 58