Minnesota vs. Ohio State: Players Who Will Help the Buckeyes End Current Skid
There is no denying that the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes are in a major rut as they are entering the tail end of one of the most difficult stretches any team in college basketball has endured this season. The Scarlet and Grey have lost three of their last four games, but a duo of unheralded players will provide the Buckeyes with a much needed victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers tonight. Junior small forward Deshaun Thomas has only been held under 15 points in two games this season, so it is safe to assume the Buckeyes will get a Herculean effort from their star performer once again. In order to bounce back from an embarrassing 71-49 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers last Sunday, though, Sam Thompson and Amir Williams will need to take some of the load off of Thomas. Ohio State is 6-1 when Thompson scores 10 points or more, however, the Buckeyes need the sophomore small forward to keep Rodney Williams in check defensively. Williams is one of the best leapers in the country and does most of his damage at the…
Minnesota in another midseason slump under Smith (The Associated Press)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — February has mostly been a month to forget for Minnesota under coach Tubby Smith. The loss at Iowa on Sunday for the Gophers was their 16th defeat in 20 games in February over the past three years. This season, they’ve dropped seven of their past 10 games and face a tough trip to 18th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday. The Gophers (18-8, 6-7 Big Ten) have beaten the Buckeyes in Columbus only once (2005) in their past 11 games there. Power forward Rodney Williams , who is second on the team in points, rebounds and blocks, could be held out again with a sore left shoulder. Smith said he’s concerned about the injury, which occurred 10 days ago in practice. ”It’s just the change in attitude. Changing the way we play,” point guard Andre Hollins said, recalling the way the team recalibrated after last year’s slump to reach the NIT championship game. ”We’ve got to look onto the next mission. We got past it, but we’ve got to remember what we did wrong, go to Ohio State and tough this one out…
