Ohio State Buckeyes @ Nebraska Cornhuskers Preview and Gamethread

What: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

When: Saturday, January 21st; 8:00 p.m.

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center; Lincoln, Nebraska

Television: Big Ten Network

Cornhusker Record:10-8

Opposing Coverage: Corn Nation

Ohio State avenged an earlier loss against Indiana with an 80-63 drubbing of the Hoosiers at home last Sunday, and now the Buckeyes travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to cap off their season series against the Cornhuskers.

In their matchup on January 1st, Ohio State decimated Nebraska, 71-40. Jared Sullinger scored 19 points, Deshaun Thomas scored 15, hitting seven of nine shots, and William Buford added 13 more to drown out the Cornhuskers, who were held to a 30% field goal percentage. Not only did Ohio State shoot more efficiently than Nebraska, but the Buckeyes grabbed 16 more rebounds, six of which came on the offensive boards. The gap was so extreme that, according to Bill James' methodology, the game was statistically over with eleven minutes remaining in the second half.

Nebraska ranks last in the Big Ten in points per game and second from last in 3-point shooting. Led by senior guard Bo Spencer, the Husker offense has struggled against any defense with some skill. Nebraska has lost six of seven games against the RPI top 50, beating only the suddenly stagnant Indiana Hoosiers.

For the Buckeyes, today's game should offer an opportunity to further gel the young talent with the old. Sophomore guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. has come on strong of late, scoring a career-high 28 points against Indiana. Smith's unique skillset--a long, lean body matched with impressive range--fills a role lacking on Ohio State's roster, a role that could augment a deep tournament run in March.

After not playing for six days, it will be good for the Bucks to get back on the court. It's now obvious that the path of this year's team is markedly different than the senior-heavy version of a year ago, which makes this stretch of conference play, the unappreciated brunt of the schedule, decisively important. Although the 2010-11 Buckeyes were stronger in the regular season than this group, there remains plenty of time for the 2011-12 squad to surpass their ancestors and win that elusive prize.

• MassLive.com conducted a video interview with Buckeye recruit Amile Jefferson, a talented four-star power forward from Pennsylvania. Reports have Jefferson announcing a decision soon, with Duke, Ohio State, Temple, and Villanova among the favorites.
• Thad Matta defended William Buford's decision-making on a local call-in radio show recently, although he admitted that Buford needs to improve in tight situations. "We’ve got to get some things shored up with him, because we do want the ball in his hands and we do want him making better decisions," Matta said.
• Tom Crean attributes the ass-kicking his team received to a lack of physicality. "But at home against them, we did play much more physically, we were much better on (not getting knocked off) the cuts. And frankly, we got to the foul line because of those cuts."
• The latest AP and Coaches Polls have Ohio State ranked sixth in the country, behind Missouri (5), Duke (4), Baylor (3), Kentucky (2), and Syracuse (1).