Who’s Playing
Pittsburgh Panthers @ Ohio State Buckeyes
Current Records: Pittsburgh 6-1, Ohio State 5-1
How To Watch
What to Know
The Pittsburgh Panthers’ road trip will continue as they head out to face the Ohio State Buckeyes at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Value City Arena. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (the Panthers: 63.1, the Buckeyes: 59.3) so any points scored will be well earned.
Pittsburgh is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Wisconsin just ended the team’s six-game winning streak on Sunday. They fell 81-75 to the Badgers. The Panthers were up 25-11 in the first but couldn’t hold on to the lead.
Pittsburgh’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Ishmael Leggett, who posted 17 points plus eight rebounds, and Cameron Corhen, who went 7 for 8 en route to 16 points.
Meanwhile, Ohio State entered their tilt with Green Bay on Monday with two consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with three. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 102-69 victory over the Phoenix. The Buckeyes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 33 points or more this season.
Bruce Thornton was the offensive standout of the game as he shot 5-for-7 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double on 25 points and nine assists. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in assists. Another player making a difference was John Mobley Jr., who went 5 for 8 en route to 14 points plus four steals.
Ohio State was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Green Bay only posted 11.
Having lost for the first time this season, Pittsburgh fell to 6-1. As for Ohio State, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pittsburgh has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39.4 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Ohio State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 39. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
