Ohio St. @ Purdue preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 23, 2019 ) Purdue 79, Ohio St. 67

Big Ten co-leader Purdue will not have to face its opponent's best player in the final regular-season home game at Mackey Arena on Saturday. Ohio State will be without Kaleb Wesson after the sophomore center was suspended indefinitely Friday by coach Chris Holtmann.

Any chance that Ohio State might have had to pull off an upset became much more difficult with the absence of Wesson. The school said in an announcement that the team's leading scorer and rebounder (14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) was suspended for a violation of Ohio State athletics department policy but that he is expected to return at some point before the end of the season. Making the situation even more challenging for Ohio State is No. 12 Purdue's perfect record at home this season. The Boilermakers' only loss the past two seasons in West Lafayette came in 2018 to the Buckeyes. This time around, Purdue should be able to exploit Ohio State with inside scoring and rebounding without Wesson's muscle in the middle.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT PURDUE (21-7, 14-3 Big Ten): In Wednesday night's win at home over Illinois, Purdue pulled away from a 48-48 tie with 9:43 left to remain tied for first with Michigan State in its quest for a second Big Ten regular-season title in three years. Matt Haarms, Purdue's 7-foot-3 center, played a giant role in the outcome with career highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. He should be primed and ready for a similar game against Ohio State's weakened defense with assistance from Purdue seniors Grady Eifert and Ryan Cline, who will be playing their final home game.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (18-10, 8-9): Wesson played a key role in Ohio State's first win this season over a ranked opponent with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday against No, 21 Iowa. Freshman Justin Ahrens' career-high 29 points in that game came out of nowhere and the Buckeyes can only hope he's able to continue to play well to help offset Wesson's absence. Ohio State will be undersized in the paint with 6-foot-8 Kyle Young, 6-6 Andre Wesson, Kaleb's brother, and sparingly used freshman Jaedon LeDee left to defend and rebound against Purdue's big men.

TIP-INS

1. Purdue's Carsen Edwards continues to lead the Big Ten in scoring at 23.4 points per game after finishing with a game-high 23 while making 5-of-8 3-pointers in the win over Illinois.

2. Haarms, who ranks second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (64.1 percent) and om blocked shots (57), could become the first Big Ten player to finish a season leading those categories since Ohio State's Greg Oden in 2007.

3. Ohio State's leading scorer without Kaleb Wesson is senior point guard C.J. Jackson (12.3 points), who had only six in the win over Iowa but added five rebounds and six assists.

PREDICTION: Purdue 77, Ohio State 61