Ohio St. @ Nebraska preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2020 ) Nebraska 68, Ohio St. 80

Ohio State's chances to move above .500 in the Big Ten for the first time this season appear to be well within reach Thursday night against floundering Nebraska, but the No. 23 Buckeyes will have to do it without a key inside player. Forward Kyle Young will miss the road game after suffering a high ankle sprain during Ohio State's win over eighth-ranked Maryland on Sunday.

In early January, Young missed two games and was ineffective in a third - all losses - after undergoing an appendectomy. But Nebraska was one of only two teams that Ohio State managed beat in January, and more than a month later the Buckeyes go into Lincoln looking for a regular-season sweep at an arena where they've lost only once (in 2014) since the Cornhuskers came into the Big Ten. While the Buckeyes will miss Young's tenaciousness in addition to his 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, their confidence level is on the upswing after winning six of their last eight, including Sunday's 79-72 victory. They now face a Nebraska team that has lost 12 games in a row - the latest a 71-59 defeat Monday at Illinois.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT OHIO STATE (18-9, 8-8 Big Ten): With Young unavailable Thursday, the Buckeyes may need to rely more on freshman forward E.J. Liddell, who subbed in for Young on Sunday and was coming off a 17-point, eight-rebound performance last Thursday in a loss at Iowa but scored only two against Maryland. He's the only big man on the roster to complement leading scorer and rebounder Kaleb Wesson, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds against Maryland. Otherwise, Ohio State must go with a smaller lineup that includes 6-foot-6 forward Andre Wesson and guards CJ Walker, Duane Washington Jr. and Luther Muhammad, who scored a season-high 22 points and hit four 3-pointers Sunday.

ABOUT NEBRASKA (7-20, 2-14): Point guard Cam Mack missed Monday's loss at Illinois with an illness, leaving the Cornhuskers with eight scholarship players. First-year Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg has tried virtually every tactic to pull the team out of its funk, but nothing has worked and the Cornhuskers have accumulated 20 losses overall for the first time in program history. Haanif Cheatham, Nebraska's leading scorer at 12.5 points per game, had a team-high 14 at Illinois and freshman center Yvan Ouedraogo, the team's top rebounder, posted his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 boards.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Muhammad, Washington Jr. and Walker combined for 47 of Ohio State's 79 points, 12-of-26 shooting from the field, 17-of-18 free throws and three turnovers against Maryland.

2. Ohio State leads the Big Ten in 3-point accuracy (37.9 percent) and 3-pointers made (8.7 per game).

3. Nebraska is last in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (minus-10), scoring defense (76.5 points per game), scoring margin (minus-5.8), field goal percentage (41.3), free throw percentage (60.5) and field goal percentage defense (44.3).

PREDICTION: Ohio State 71, Nebraska 57