We have a Sunday afternoon Big Ten showdown in Columbus as the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers hit the road to battle an Ohio State Buckeyes team under new leadership. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will air on CBS.
Purdue (23-2, 12-2 Big Ten) has won nine straight heading into this contest and most recently put down Minnesota in an 84-76 victory on Thursday. The Boilermakers were actually trailing by 10 at the start of the second half before quickly working their way back to pull ahead. The dominated the Golden Gophers on the glass with 44 rebounds to their 27. Zach Edey had 15 of those boards along with 24 points.
Ohio State (14-11, 4-10 Big Ten) has dropped six of its last seven games and was bested by Wisconsin in a 62-54 loss on Tuesday. The Buckeyes were sluggish out the gate and never led in this contest, putting up just 21 points in the first half. Bruce Thornton had 18 points and five assists in the setback.
That loss proved to be the final straw for OSU head coach Chris Holtmann as he was fired the following afternoon. Assistant Jake Diebler will serve as the Buckeyes’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season and will make his debut this afternoon.
Purdue has a distinct advantage on both sides of the floor and that’s especially the case on offense, where it boasts the No. 2 unit in the nation per KenPom. The Boilermakers are shooting 40.3% from three and that’ll be a handful for an Ohio State team that has struggled to defend against the three all year.
What this game means for Purdue
Purdue is cruising right along and its getting close to officially clinching the Big Ten regular season title. The NCAA Selection Committee chose them as their No. 1 team in their first bracket update on Saturday, so the Boilermakers need to continue handling their business in order to officially get the top seed for the big dance.
What this game means for Ohio State
With Holtmann gone, this season is officially a wash for Ohio State as the school brass begin the search for his replacement. However, we’ve seen teams in the past get a “dead cat bounce” in the immediate aftermath of their coach getting fired. Diebler has been on staff since 2019 and this could turn into a situation where the players rally around him and put him in the running for the full-time gig.
Purdue vs. Ohio State odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Purdue -8.5
Total: 146
Moneyline: Purdue -425, Ohio State +330