GAME NOTES: The Ohio State Buckeyes will try to continue their domination of the Big Ten today, as they host the Northwestern Wildcats at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Buckeyes kicked off Big Ten play on Thursday, defeating Illinois 74-58 on the road. The victory extended the team's current winning streak to six games, and marked its 17th consecutive triumph over a Big Ten opponent dating back to last season. Now at 10-3 overall, OSU returns back to Value City Arena, where it has posted seven wins against just one loss thus far. As for Northwestern, it began Big Ten play on Wednesday, when it was outlasted by Penn State, 79-68, at home. The loss put a stop to the team's four-game win streak, as it dipped to an even 5-5 overall. The Wildcats now hit the road, where they have gone 1-2 thus far. As for the all-time series, OSU owns a commanding 109-44 advantage over Northwestern, and it has won the last 15 meetings between the programs. The Buckeyes have also not lost to the Wildcats in Columbus since 1977.

Northwestern is shooting well from the floor (.481) as well as from long range (.403) and that is the reason for its respectable scoring average of 69.3 ppg. Freshman Michael Thompson is the driving force behind this squad and he is not only scoring a team-high 13.8 ppg, but he is also dishing out a club-best 5.5 apg. Craig Moore nips at his heels with 13.2 ppg and he is handing out 3.6 apg, while also shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range. Jason Okrzesik hasn't started a single game, but that hasn't stopped him from averaging in double figures at 12.6 ppg. In the team's last game, Northwestern allowed Penn State to shoot a sizzling 56.6 percent from the field, as it suffered an 11-point loss. The team was also dominated on the boards, 33-19, in the setback. Thompson paced the Wildcats in defeat with a double-double that consisted of 17 points and career-high 10 assists. Another positive for Northwestern was the return of Kevin Coble, who missed the team's first nine games to be with his sick mother. Coble led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding as a freshman last season, and he scored 11 points in his debut against Penn State.

The Buckeyes have suffocated their opponents this season, holding them to a mere 60.0 ppg and a lackluster 37.4 percent shooting from the floor. Offensively, the team is paced by Jamar Butler, who is netting a team-high 15.5 ppg and dishing out a squad-best 5.7 apg. Butler is also deadly from long range, hitting on 45.6 percent of his attempts. Seven-foot freshman Kosta Koufos has provided OSU with a legitimate presence in the paint and he puts forth 15.0 ppg and a team-high 6.9 rpg. In the squad's previous contest, Butler turned in a tremendous performance that consisted of a career-high 32 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 74-58 triumph at Illinois. Othello Hunter contributed 15 points and seven rebounds for the Buckeyes, who forced 18 turnovers and held Illinois to a sub par 39.0 percent shooting effort overall.

OSU has owned Northwestern over the years and that trend is unlikely to change today. The Buckeyes are the bigger and more physical team and they should be able to control the paint en route to the victory.