Northwestern vs. Ohio State scouting report

Posted March 09, 2011 11:00 pm

Northwestern (18-12) vs. Ohio St. (29-2)

When: 11 a.m. at Conseco Fieldhouse

TV: ESPN

Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: For all those who thought Northwestern’s 58-57 loss on Jan. 29 to Ohio State was a fluke, the rematch comes in today’s first Big Ten tournament quarterfinal. Unless senior forward Mike Capocci passes his concussion test unexpectedly, the Wildcats will have just eight scholarship players again. That means NU won’t have freshman guard JerShon Cobb (hip), but the Wildcats didn’t have John Shurna available the first time they played OSU. Northwestern took advantage of a few statistical anomalies in the first Ohio State game. The Wildcats outrebounded the Buckeyes 31-20 as several missed 3-pointers became long rebounds for NU. Also, the Wildcats figured out a defensive scheme that allowed them to double-team Jared Sullinger occasionally while still sticking the Buckeyes’ shooters. OSU finished with season lows for points (58), 3-pointers (2) and 3-point attempts (8).

Advancement: The winner meets the Illinois-Michigan winner at 12:40 p.m. Saturday (Channel 2)

— Lindsey Willhite

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.