Can Minnesota snap its three-game losing streak on the road against Ohio State?

The Gophers have a significant Quad 1, resume-building opportunity on Tuesday night in Columbus.

Ohio State Buckeyes huddle before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Value City Arena on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Gophers will hit the road again on Tuesday night for a Quad 1 opportunity against Ohio State, which is quietly one of the Big Ten's most underrated teams. Here's what you need to know.

How to watch

• Day: Tuesday, Jan. 19
• Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
• TV channel: Big Ten Network (BTN)
• Radio: KFAN FM 100.3

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Ohio State preview

Year two of the Jake Diebler era in Columbus has gotten off to a much more encouraging start than last season. The Buckeyes are 12-5 this season with notable wins over UCLA, West Virginia and Notre Dame. Both KenPom.com and the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) metrics view them as a top-40 team in the country.

Senior guard Bruce Thornton is one of the best scorers in the Big Ten this season, averaging 20.5 points per game. Ohio State is a rare old-school team with its top three scorers all beginning their college careers in Columbus.

Ohio State's Bruce Thornton (2) dapps up the rest of his teammates after they gain the foul on January 30, 2025 | Taj Falconer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State did announce last Friday, Jan. 16, that Penn State transfer guard Puff Johnson will be joining the team, despite already playing five years of college basketball. He did not play against UCLA on Saturday, so it will be worth monitoring if he makes his season-debut against the Gophers.

Keys to the game

According to KenPom.com, Ohio State will be the third-best offense Minnesota has faced this season, behind only Purdue and Illinois. Langston Reynolds will have his hands full with slowing down Thornton, but he has actually averaged more points in Ohio State's losses than wins.

Slowing down the secondary players like John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal and Christoph Tilly might actually be the key for Minnesota trying to contain Ohio State's offensive machine.

Prediction

The Buckeyes' five losses have come by an average of four points per game, so they could be a much better team than their 12-5 record indicates. Minnesota has the personnel to stick with them for much of this game, but things could look a lot like the Illinois and Wisconsin games.

Niko Medved has had his team prepared for every true road game this season, and I have no reason to believe that won't be the case on Tuesday night. Ohio State might just have too much offensive firepower for Minnesota to slow down in another hard-fought Big Ten contest.

Score: Ohio State: 79, Minnesota 74