Hoops Preview: OSU vs. Wisconsin

Right: David Lighty scored 30 points against Cleveland State, last week. (AP Photo)

The 15th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Madison to take on No. 23 Wisconsin, New Year’s Eve afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on ESPN2 with Terry Gannon and Steve Lavin.

As always, you can hear the game all across the state on the 60-station Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network with “Big Daddy” Paul Keels and former Buckeye Ron Stokes. WBNS outlets 97.1 FM and 1460 AM are the flagship stations in Columbus.

The Badgers are 10-2 overall with losses to Gonzaga, 74-61, and to Wisconsin-Green Bay in overtime, 88-84. Of Wisconsin’s 10 wins, the most notable came against No. 5 Duke (73-69) and No. 22 Maryland (78-69). The Badgers have rattled off four-straight wins, including a 79-43 victory over Illinois-Chicago their last time out on Nov. 27. Five UW players notched double figure point totals against UIC as 6-foot-10 junior foward Jon Leuer led all scorers with 17.

Wisconsin is led by Leuer, who is averaging 17.0 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. Second on the team in scoring is Trevon Hughes, a 6-foot senior guard who pours in 16.4 points per contest. Jason Bohannon is the only other Badger to average double-digits in scoring at 10.1 points per game, and is the team’s best three-point shooter at 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Ohio State has won three-straight, which includes a 72-59 win over Cleveland State last Tuesday. David Lighty had a career-high 30 points against the Vikings and Dallas Lauderdale chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds. Lighty and junior guard Jon Diebler lead the Buckeyes in scoring, as they both average 14.4 points per game.

The Buckeyes will still be without the best player in the Big Ten, Evan Turner, who is still recuperating from breaking bones in his lower back when he fell while dunking earlier this month against Eastern Michigan. He’s not expected to return to the lineup until Jan. 9 vs. Minnesota, at the earliest.

Before his injury, Turner was averaging 18.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, which tops the OSU roster in all three statistical categories.

Following the Wisconsin game, the Buckeyes will travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan, Sunday afternoon. Tip-off at Crisler Arena is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.