Following their second-round victory over Minnesota that was much closer than it needed to be, Ohio State (19-8, 12-8) has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals versus a Purdue team that has already defeated them not once, but twice this season.
On the heels of a four-game losing streak that lasted exactly three weeks, Ohio State couldn’t afford to go one-and-done in the B1G tournament, and therefore enter the NCAA Tournament losers of five in a row. Minnesota (14-15, 6-14) went punch for punch with the Buckeyes for much of the afternoon, never leading but keeping them at arm’s length until the final few minutes.