Our long, national nightmare is over. After a out of conference slate punctuated with mostly forgettable directional schools and something called a "Bryant", Big Ten play is upon us. The Basketball Buckeyes will hit the road to face a potentially salty Purdue team. In the Big Ten, no road game can be taken for granted, and Thad Matta's Buckeyes will need to be mentally engaged, New Year's Eve or not, if they want to leave West Lafayette with a W.

If you missed our more detailed preview for the game, be sure to check it out here. The TL;DR version is that Ohio State is played some of the best defensive basketball in the country right now, and as long as they're able to find buckets, they're very tough to stop.

Lots of questions will be answered today. Will Matta run a deeper bench in Big Ten play, despite his historical aversion? Will Purdue Big Man A.J. Hammons finally explode, or will the Buckeye defense frustrate him into foul trouble and inefficiency? Will LaQuinton Ross continue his explosive December (17.4 ppg this month)? If a team wins in West Lafayette, does it really count? Join us, let's find out together.

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES		PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
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