Game #86. RTC Live heads to Assembly Hall in Bloomington as Indiana hosts the #2-ranked team in America.
Happy New Year, college hoops fans! Welcome to Big Ten basketball and to Assembly Hall, home of the Indiana Hoosiers. It has been a tale of two very different seasons for these clubs. Coach Thad Matta’s Ohio State Buckeyes are undefeated, ranked #2 in the nation, and coming off a 100-40 laugher over Tennessee-Martin. Leading the way for the frightening Buckeye starting five is All-American and Big Ten POY candidate Jared Sullinger, a 6-9 280-pound beast of a freshman. Sullinger is a load inside and leads Ohio St. in scoring and rebounding (17.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG). All signs point to Jared and his Buckeye mates having their way with the undersized Hoosier frontcourt, but Ws never come easy on the road in the Big Ten. Coach Tom Crean’s young Indiana Hoosiers are a desperate team in search of a marquee win. Entering this game with a record of 9-5 and losers of three straight to Northern Iowa, Colorado, and Penn State, the Hoosiers can turn their season and their tradition-packed program around if they can upset the talented Buckeyes. During their recent skid, the Hoosiers have struggled to play at a high energy level for a full 40 minutes. Indiana will be counting on their crimson clad home fans in this game to make Assembly Hall a hostile environment for the visitors from Columbus. Which Big Ten squad will have a happy new year and which one will start drafting their resolutions for better conference play?