Ohio St. @ Northwestern preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 20, 2019 ) Northwestern 49, Ohio St. 63

Ohio State will be without leading scorer and rebounder Kaleb Wesson for the second straight game when it plays at Northwestern on Wednesday night in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes were lost without him Saturday when they were steamrolled 86-51 at No. 9 Purdue.

Wesson, averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds, was suspended last week for a violation of Ohio State athletics department policy but is expected to return at some point before the end of the season. Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said Tuesday that he didn't want to discuss the reasons for the disciplinary action but indicated that Wesson is not kicked off the team. Wesson's absence is definitely good news for Northwestern, which was gouged for 22 points,eight rebounds and four assists by the 6-foot-9 sophomore in its 63-49 loss in Columbus on Feb. 20. Vic Law was the only player for the Wildcats to score in double figures against the Buckeyes with 10 points.

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

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (12-17, 3-15 Big Ten): The Wildcats' skid reached 10 games after their late rally fell short in an 81-76 loss on Sunday at Illinois, which Northwestern had beaten in early January for one of its three wins since the calendar flipped to 2019. With Purdue coming to Evanston on Saturday, Northwestern is looking at possibly the only chance to end its losing losing streak against a weakened Ohio State roster at the end of a disappointing regular season. The Wildcats will need Law, their leading scorer, to bounce back from a subpar effort against Illinois (nine points, 3-of-12 from the field, 1-of-6 on 3-pointers).

ABOUT OHIO STATE (18-11, 8-10): Without Wesson, the Buckeyes have serious issues inside that are compounded by the limited availability of 6-8 sophomore Kyle Young, who is recovering from a leg stress fracture and can't practice with the team during the week. Holtmann started three freshmen at Purdue and admitted afterward that he made a mistake using so many young players in a challenging environment. Freshman Jaedon LeDee finished with 16 points, but Luther Muhammad contributed only four points and Justin Ahrens, who scored a career-high 29 in the previous game against Iowa, was held scoreless.

TIP-INS

1. Senior C.J. Jackson is Ohio State's second-leading scorer this season at 11.9 points per game but has managed 21 in his last four games, including two at Purdue on Saturday.

2. Northwestern couldn't avoid foul trouble against Illinois, committing 27 fouls that resulted in the Fighting Illini hitting 33-of-38 from the line, the most made free throws by a Big Ten team this season.

3. Northwestern senior Dererk Pardon, averaging 13.9 points and 7.9 rebounds, just missed his eighth double-double of the season in the loss at Illinois with 16 points and nine rebounds.

PREDICTION: Northwestern 70, Ohio State 60