Wisconsin @ Ohio St. preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2017 ) Ohio St. 83, Wisconsin 58

Ohio State can finish no higher than seventh in the Big Ten standings but might have more to lose than No. 21 Wisconsin in Sunday's regular-season finale. While the Badgers are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes are sitting precariously on the bubble and may need at least one more win to get in when the 68-team field is announced next Sunday.

Though Ohio State is at home, beating Wisconsin is not going to be easy without Kaleb Wesson, the Buckeyes' best player who will miss a third consecutive game because of disciplinary action imposed by the athletic department and not the basketball program. Without Wesson, Ohio State looked lost and wasn't competitive in its last two games against No. 9 Purdue and Northwestern. Not having the big man in the middle could be a recipe for more disaster against Wisconsin and senior standout Ethan Happ, who dominated Iowa on Thursday night with 21 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in a 65-45 victory. The Badgers can secure the fourth seed and a double bye in next week's Big Ten Tournament with a win in Columbus.


TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT WISCONSIN (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten): The 6-foot-10 Happ, a candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year, leads three Wisconsin players averaging in double figures at 17.9 points and also is pulling down 10.2 rebounds per game. Guards D'Mitrik Trice, an Ohio native, and Brad Davison average 12.1 and 10.8 points, respectively. Khalil Iverson, also an Ohio native, posted the first double-double of his career in the win over Iowa with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (18-12, 8-11): The Buckeyes were unable to generate offense in Wednesday's loss at Northwestern without Wesson, who is averaging a team-leading 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. Ohio State has managed to score no more than 51 points in its last two losses and helped Northwestern end its 10-game losing streak by shooting 26.6 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from 3-point range. Guards Keyshawn Woods (15 points) and Duane Washington (11) combined for more than half of Ohio State's 50 points against Northwestern.

TIP-INS

1. Wisconsin and Ohio State are meeting for the only time during the 2018-19 regular season and the Badgers will be trying to break a two-game losing streak in the series in their first visit to Columbus since 2017.

2. With Wesson out, Ohio State's only player with a scoring average in double figures is senior C.J. Jackson, who's at 11.8 points per game but is averaging 6.0 in his last five.

3. There's no clear indication when Wesson will return, but coach Chris Holtmann said earlier that the sophomore would be back this season.

PREDICTION: Wisconsin 68, Ohio State 54