Ohio State-Penn State: Buckeyes Head to Happy Valley

Ohio State heads to Happy Valley for a conference game against Penn State on Tuesday night.

Penn State has now lost five straight games.  The team has yet to recover from the devastating loss of senior Geary Claxton who sustained a season-ending injury to his ACL in an 80–55 loss to Wisconsin on January 15.   Claxton was the Lions’ leading scorer with 17.5 points a game.
 
Penn State has not been competitive since Claxton’s injury, and has lost the last four games by an average margin of 19.5 points.
 
On the other hand, Ohio State is on a two-game winning streak.  OSU beat Illinois 64-58 and Minnesota 76 -60 at home.  The Buckeye’s are currently 14–6 and are in fifth place in the Big 10, with a 5–2 conference record.
 
But in the past, Ohio State has had problems in Happy Valley.  Last year’s team had a 24-point lead in the second half and nearly let it slip away in the 64–62 victory.  Still, Coach Matta has never lost to Penn State, with a record of 8–0.
 
The Buckeyes should not have any problems with the Lions.  Ohio State is improving on offense and their zone defense has been a huge success.  The Buckeyes are holding opponents to 60 points a game while the offense is averaging 69 points a game.

Game time is 7:00 PM this Tuesday; catch it on ESPN.   

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