The Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in a Big Ten battle of potential March Madness bubble teams. Our Ohio State vs. Wisconsin prediction has the projected starting lineups and a full score forecast with analysis for this exciting showdown.
Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Projected Lineups and Key Matchups
Ohio State Buckeyes Starting Lineup
- Bruce Thornton (17.7 PPG)
- John Mobley Jr. (15.2 PPG)
- Devin Royal (12.4 PPG)
- Christoph Tilly (12.3 PPG)
- Aaron Bradshaw (7.8 PPG)
Wisconsin Badgers Starting Lineup
- Nick Boyd (14.8 PPG)
- John Blackwell (16.2 PPG)
- Andrew Rohde (9.4 PPG)
- Austin Rapp (11.6 PPG)
- Nolan Winter (11.8 PPG)
Wisconsin has won three straight in this series and holds a 9-4 home record against Ohio State since 2009. Wisconsin opens as slight 3.5-point favorites, but this game could very well come down to the wire. The Buckeyes check in higher in the NET rankings than the Badgers at No. 37 compared to Wisconsin’s No. 43 spot.
Winners of six of its last seven games, a win over the Buckeyes would move Wisconsin to 7-2 in January, a month that has already flipped its season with one more opportunity still to play.
Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Prediction and Preview
If you like bucket getters, this is the weekend matchup for you. On these two rosters are three microwave scorers, all of whom are more than capable of taking over this game for extended stretches.
These teams also have enough secondary options to keep them afloat while they wait for the spark to get lit, making this an awfully interesting game that could see some wild swings over the course of 40 minutes.
- Top 3 scorers for OSU: 13.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists vs 5.0 turnovers
- Top 3 scorers for WIS: 17.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists vs. 4.4 turnovers
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I think that’s where the edge comes in this one. The three highest usage players for the home team offer a little more stability, and if this game is going to go back-and-forth, as I believe, the team with the steadier stars figures to come out on top.
Ohio State wants to play in the mud a little bit (akin to past Wisconsin teams), and that’s fine, but against a low-turnover-rate offense like this, that puts a lot of pressure on them to overachieve in the efficiency departments.
Prediction: Wisconsin 77, Ohio State 72
How To Watch Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 31, 2025
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Madison, WI
- Arena: Kohl Center
- TV Channel: Fox
- Live Stream: Fox Sports App
