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1/27 Big Ten Recap: Ohio State Survives

Recap all the Big Ten action from Wednesday.

NCAA Basketball: Penn State at Ohio State Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten had two games on Wednesday night and both featured top 15 teams in action. The early game had Penn State going on the road to face Ohio State and the late game had Maryland hosting Wisconsin. Both games had Big Ten title implications.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

Game of the Night:

-No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes 83, Penn State Nittany Lions 79

After scoring a huge road win against Wisconsin on Saturday, Ohio State returned home to what seemed like a fairly winnable game at home against Penn State. However, the game ended up going down to the wire thanks to a 26-point performance from Seth Lundy. However, some big plays from EJ Liddell in the final minute of action allowed the Buckeyes to avoid what would have been a pretty rough loss at home.

The win not only pushed Ohio State to 13-4 overall and 7-4 in Big Ten play, but also kept the Buckeyes on the outskirts of the Big Ten title race as we prepare to enter the stretch run of the season. Ohio State is three games behind Michigan, but there’s still some hope with a tough slate remaining for the Wolverines and a head-to-head matchup between the two rivals in late February. Wednesday’s win at least keeps the dream alive.

For Penn State, this will be a tough one to stomach. The Nittany Lions seemed to be in solid control of the game with roughly eight minutes remaining, but ended up falling short. The loss drops the team to 5-7 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten play. Penn State will return to action on Saturday at home against Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Ohio State will prepare for a showdown against Michigan State at home on Sunday. Expect a physical battle between the two.

The Rest:

-No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers 61, Maryland Terrapins 55

This was a game of runs with Wisconsin dominating the early segments of the game, Maryland responding well after halftime, and the Badgers retaking control in the closing minutes. Wisconsin eventually grabbed a 61-55 win over Maryland to improve to 13-4 overall and 7-3 in Big Ten play. Maryland dropped to 9-8 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten play.

Like Ohio State above, this win kept Wisconsin alive in the Big Ten title race. The Badgers still need some help, but are certainly still in the picture right now. And with a back-to-back against Penn State in the coming days, it seems like there’s an opportunity for Wisconsin to score two decent wins. Maryland will hope to rebound next Tuesday at home against Purdue.

Cancelled/Postponed:

-No. 4 Michigan Wolverines at Penn State Nittany Lions

This was originally supposed to be Penn State’s matchup on Wednesday before Michigan Athletics shut down its department. We’ll see when Michigan gets back into action. We certainly wish everyone health and safety as the pause continues.