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Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Ohio State Buckeyes

Current Records: Rutgers 8-4, Ohio State 11-2

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We’ve got another exciting Big Ten matchup on schedule as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to tip at 7:00 p.m. ET on January 3rd at Value City Arena. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Saturday, the Scarlet Knights dodged a bullet and finished off the Skyhawks 59-58.

Rutgers’ win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Clifford Omoruyi, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 17 rebounds. Those 17 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Derek Simpson, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds.

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Ohio State ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They had just enough and edged the Mountaineers out 78-75. 78 seems to be a good number for Ohio State as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.

Among those leading the charge was Roddy Gayle Jr., who scored 32 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. That’s the first time this season that he scored 30 or more points. Jamison Battle was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with nine rebounds.

The Scarlet Knights have been performing well recently as they’ve won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. As for the Buckeyes, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 11-2.

Wednesday’s game is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Rutgers have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.5 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Ohio State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 39.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Rutgers didn’t have too much breathing room in their contest against Ohio State in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, but they still walked away with a 68-64 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rutgers since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.

Series History

Ohio State has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Rutgers.

• Jan 15, 2023 – Rutgers 68 vs. Ohio State 64
• Dec 08, 2022 – Ohio State 67 vs. Rutgers 66
• Feb 09, 2022 – Rutgers 66 vs. Ohio State 64
• Jan 09, 2021 – Ohio State 79 vs. Rutgers 68
• Dec 23, 2020 – Ohio State 80 vs. Rutgers 68
• Feb 12, 2020 – Ohio State 72 vs. Rutgers 66
• Feb 02, 2019 – Ohio State 76 vs. Rutgers 62
• Jan 09, 2019 – Rutgers 64 vs. Ohio State 61
• Feb 20, 2018 – Ohio State 79 vs. Rutgers 52
• Jan 14, 2018 – Ohio State 68 vs. Rutgers 46