Northwestern entered Big Ten play with ten victories for the first time in school history, following an 85-59 New Year's Eve throttling of Northwestern State.  They haven't won since.  The Wildcats (10-8) remain in last place in the Big Ten (0-5) following a 73-41 blowout at Ohio State on Wednesday. 

The loss wasn't unexpected but it was certainly disappointing following the stellar fashion in which Northwestern played #4 Wisconsin last Saturday (56-50 loss) in Evanston.

The Buckeyes took control from the opening whistle and never looked back.  They led for all 40 minutes of the lopsided game.

Rebounding and poor shooting once again derailed the Wildcats from the start.  Ohio State's strong bench play and ability to capitalize on Northwestern mistakes were also key.

Northwestern's defense was adequate.  They held the Big Ten's highest scoring team under their season average and should be proud of keeping freshman center Greg Oden under ten points (5).  Oden did however lead all players with 6 rebounds and 5 blocks. 

Ohio State pulled down 35 rebounds.  Not coincidentally, 28 points in the paint and 11 second chance points made up for more than half of the their 73 points.

The Buckeye bench was also spectacular, their 22 points doubling that of the Wildcats.  Junior forward Othello Hunter led the way with 10 points and 5 rebounds in only 20 minutes of play off of the bench.

As good as Ohio State played, Northwestern did very little to help themselves.  The Buckeyes managed to convert 17 Wildcat turnovers into 25 points.  Guard Craig Moore led Northwestern with 11 points but was responsible for 5 of those turnovers (a game high). 

Freshman guard Mike Conley, Jr. once again showed Buckeye fans what he's capable of as he led all players in points (17), assists (10) and steals (4) en route to his third double-double of the season.  Conley now leads the Big Ten in assists and is 4th in the nation.

Northwestern's shooting was atrocious.  They shot 33 percent from the floor.  Their shooting in the first half was especially bad.  The 'Cats were 28 percent from the floor on 7 of 25 shooting.  Even worse was their 9 percent three-point percentage in the first on a pathetic 1 of 11 performance from behind the arc.  The team managed only an embarrassing 15 points in the first half as a result.

The Wildcats were without their leading scorer Kevin Coble for the second straight game.  Coble is still recovering from a sprained ankle.

With the win, the #7 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 15-3 on the season and moved into third place in the Big Ten (3-1). 

On the flipside, the unranked Northwestern University Wildcats dropped to 10-8, the loss their fifth straight.  At 0-5, they remain dead last in the Big Ten conference.

Northwestern heads to Minneapolis for a Saturday showdown with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.  After that, it's back to Evanston for a rematch with Ohio State on Wednesday, January 24.  Hopefully home court really is an advantage.  The Wildcats will need it.