No. 16 Ohio State visits Minnesota following Willis' 32-point performance

Published Jan. 27, 2022 2:02 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Ohio State Buckeyes (12-4, 5-2 Big Ten) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-5, 2-5 Big Ten)

Minneapolis; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

LINE: Minnesota -6.5; over/under is 138.5

BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota hosts the No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes after Payton Willis scored 32 points in Minnesota's 68-65 victory against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

The Golden Gophers are 6-3 in home games. Minnesota ranks fifth in the Big Ten shooting 35.7% from deep, led by Willis shooting 42.4% from 3-point range.

The Buckeyes are 5-2 in Big Ten play. Ohio State is third in the Big Ten shooting 38.0% from deep. Jimmy Sotos paces the Buckeyes shooting 57.1% from 3-point range.

The Golden Gophers and Buckeyes square off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jamison Battle is shooting 47.8% and averaging 16.9 points for the Golden Gophers. Willis is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

Justin Ahrens is shooting 35.6% from beyond the arc with 1.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Buckeyes, while averaging 6.8 points. E.J. Liddell is averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games for Ohio State.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Gophers: 5-5, averaging 69.5 points, 26.8 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 5.4 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.9 points per game.

Buckeyes: 8-2, averaging 75.0 points, 33.1 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 5.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.3 points.

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