Indiana Basketball vs Ohio State: 3 keys to game

Indiana basketball is back on the road for its second matchup of the season against Ohio State, looking for a notable road victory to add to the resume.

A week ago, Indiana basketball was coming off of a terrific win over No. 11 Michigan State, feeling great about its chances to get another one at home against No. 17 Maryland. Now, the feeling around the program is a bit disheveled.

After two straight losses, a one-point heartbreaker to Maryland and a blowout loss to No. 24 Penn State, the Hoosiers have to find some energy and passion to end the week on a high note against Ohio State.

In the first matchup, the two teams battled in Bloomington and despite a hard-fought battle, Indiana came out on top, winning its third game against a ranked opponent this season. After a couple of shaky weeks since the Hoosiers look to regain that form on Saturday.

While it does deal with basketball, it is also an off of the court issue too with one Ohio State guard. Freshman point guard DJ Carton announced on Thursday night that he would be taking some time away from the Buckeyes basketball program to deal with a mental health issue, missing Saturday’s matchup.

Despite the loss of Carton, Ohio State still has three terrific guards on the perimeter that can not only make shots but also handle the ball.

Duane Washington Jr. is one of those players who will have to take on a larger role without Carton in the lineup. The sophomore guard is averaging 11.2 points per game but was benched in the first matchup after just eight minutes of action.

Indiana has been great at times, and abysmal during other stretches of play. On Saturday they need to make sure to find more of the great stretches of basketball in order to escape Columbus with a win.

Here are the three keys to an Indiana victory.