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The No. 21 Minnesota Golden Gophers are hosting their Big 10 rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, on Sunday. The Golden Gophers are fighting to stay in the Top 25 of the college basketball rankings after a 71-59 loss at No. 6 Wisconsin in their last game. Both teams, in fact, have lost two of their first four conference matchups. This looks to be a very evenly matched game that has the potential for a very close finish.
Match Details
Fixture: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Sunday, January 3, 2021, 5:30 PM ET
Venue: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Ohio State Buckeyes Preview
The Ohio State Buckeyes carry an 8-2 record into this matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but have struggled since beginning conference play. The Buckeyes currently sit in seventh place of the very competitive Big 10 conference, but looked strong in their last game, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a whopping 36 points (90-54) and improving to 2-2 in Big 10 play.
Key Player - CJ Walker
CJ Walker has been providing the spark on offense for the Ohio State Buckeyes this year, and will be hoping for another big night against a tough Minnesota Golden Gophers' defense.
Walker has averaged 9.4 points, 4.4 assists and three rebounds per game to this point in the season. If Walker can continue to run the point guard position with confidence, the Buckeyes could come out with a big win on Sunday.
Ohio State Buckeyes Predicted Lineup
G CJ Walker, G Duane Washington Jr., F Kyle Young, F Justice Sueing, F E.J. Liddell
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Minnesota Golden Gophers Preview
The Minnesota Golden Gophers have cooled down since the start of conference play, but have a great opportunity to build some momentum on Sunday against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Golden Gophers lost their last game against their Big 10 rival Wisconsin Badgers and dropped into seventh place in the conference standings. The Golden Gophers are in need of win on Sunday, and will be hopeful to bring their best performance.
Key Player - Marcus Carr
Marcus Carr is having a big year for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and it seems he is only heating up. Carr is averaging a team-leading 22.7 points and 6.2 assists per game, and has shown great hands on the defensive end with nine steals this season. Carr will need another strong showing against the Ohio State Buckeyes to get his team back in the Big 10 title hunt.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Predicted Lineup
F Brandon Johnson, C Liam Robbins, G Gabe Kalscheur, G Both Gach, G Marcus Carr
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Ohio State vs. Minnesota Prediction
The Minnesota Golden Gophers have a great opportunity to prove their legitimacy as a top Big 10 team with a win on Sunday. Both teams are in the same position, having lost two of their first four conference matchups. This looks to be a very evenly matched game that has potential for a very close finish. Give the Minnesota Golden Gophers the slight edge, and expect them to come out with a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Where to watch Ohio State vs. Minnesota
The game will be available for live stream on the B1G Network.
