The Nebraska men’s basketball team continues its road trip on Tuesday evening, as the Huskers travel to Columbus for a matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tipoff from Value City Arena is set for shortly after 5:30 p.m. (central) The game will be broadcast on KBBN 95.3 FM with coverage on the Huskers Sports Network beginning at 4:30.
Nebraska (7-9, 2-3 Big Ten) nearly rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit before falling 62-57 at Northwestern on Saturday. The Huskers shot just 31 percent from the floor, but out-scored Northwestern 30-20 in the second half to climb back into the contest.
NU trailed 60-57, but Dachon Burke’s game-tying 3-pointer was off the mark and Miller Kopp hit a pair of free throws for the final margin. Cam Mack had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Haanif Cheatham added 10 points in the losing effort.
Mack has been one of the Big Ten’s top newcomers, averaging 12.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, as the sophomore is third in the conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5-to-1). He has raised his play in Big Ten action, averaging a conference best 9.0 assists per game and posting a 3.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard also has four double-doubles, including the first triple-double in school history, in his first five Big Ten games.
Ohio State (11-5, 1-4 Big Ten) was ranked 11th and 12th respectively in the national polls last week before losses at Maryland and Indiana. Against the Hoosiers, Andre Wesson had 15 points, while Kaleb Wesson finished with 11 points and 10 boards. The Buckeyes shot just 33 percent from the floor and committed 16 turnovers which led to 16 Indiana points. Ohio State has the Big Ten’s best defense, averaging 59.4 points per game and holding opponents to 36.5 percent shooting.
