What Ohio State Basketball Must Do to Win a Defining Test Against No. 8 Purdue

Ohio State has a critical opportunity to knock off No. 8 Purdue at home tomorrow.

In what feels like a must-win game ahead of the NCAA Tournament, head coach Jake Diebler previewed what his team needs to do to come out on top against the Boilermakers.

Bouncing back from the Iowa loss

The Buckeyes were blown out by Iowa, 74–57, in their last outing.

“Early foul trouble coupled with our lack of depth in the frontcourt hurt us for the rest of that first-half stretch,” Diebler said. “Hopefully, we’ll be in a better position to handle that stuff tomorrow.”

With Christoph Tilly sidelined in a walking boot against the Hawkeyes, Ohio State was forced to use different rotations.

“I thought we started thinking a little too much—we tried to do too much scheming,” Diebler said. “We just needed to simplify in those moments. We had guys playing out of position. All of that created a perfect storm.”

A healthier lineup?

Ohio State has been riddled with injuries and illness, impacting key contributors throughout the season like Brandon Noel, John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal and Tilly.

“I can’t tell you the last time we had our typical starting lineup together,” Diebler said.

Mobley played his first game back from a hand injury against Iowa and has continued to build confidence, feeling even stronger heading into the Purdue matchup.

Tilly’s availability remains a game-time decision.

“He’s working really hard to get back out there,” Diebler said. “He might as well have lived with our training staff leading into the last game. He really tried to be out there. We’ll find out today what he can do. He wasn’t able to do much yesterday. A lot of that stuff is day-to-day for us this time of year.”

If Tilly or other players are not available, the focus shifts to streamlining the approach—managing fatigue with earlier timeouts and adjusting substitution patterns to keep lineups fresh.

Handling Braden Smith

Diebler pointed to Purdue guard Braden Smith as a key challenge. Smith averages 8.8 assists per game, second-best in the Big Ten, and has the ability to both score and create for others.

However, Ohio State’s recent experience defending high-producing guards—including Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr.—could prove valuable against Purdue.

Ohio State hosts the Boilermakers at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Schottenstein Center. In a matchup with significant postseason implications, the Buckeyes must play like they know what's at stake.