January games in the Big Ten never rise to must-win status.
But given how Ohio State (12-7, 2-6 Big Ten) has performed over the course of the past month, its road tilt with Northwestern (6-12, 1-7 Big Ten) on Sunday evening is pretty dang important. A loss to the Wildcats in Evanston, Illinois, would tie the Buckeyes at the bottom of the Big Ten with Northwestern and Nebraska, the two teams that entered the season picked to finish in the conference’s cellar. Needless to say, that would be a disaster, and talk of them missing the NCAA tournament would pick up.