From: SportsNetwork.com —
Columbus, OH – The 15th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten and the West Virginia Mountaineers of the Big East will collide in Columbus this afternoon.

West Virginia has won its last three games to improve to 9-2 overall. The Mountaineers knocked off Radford by an 89-54 final on Tuesday, and they have also beaten the likes of Ole Miss and Iowa this season. buy amoxicillin The lone losses have come against Kentucky and Davidson, a pair of strong opponents.

As for Ohio State, it is off to a 9-0 start, the fifth time in program history that the Buckeyes have won at least nine straight to open a campaign. They have won 12 in a row in Columbus dating back to last season, and the most recent home victory occurred on Monday over UNC-Asheville by an 83-59 final. So far, the most impressive win of the season came over Notre Dame, a tough opponent from the Big East.

Ohio State owns a 9-5 series advantage over West Virginia.

Strong defense has been the key to West Virginia’s early success, as the team is limiting opponents to 56.1 ppg on 40.2 percent shooting from the floor. Offensively, the squad is netting 74.6 ppg, and Alex Ruoff leads the way with 17.0 ppg. Da’Sean Butler provides 15.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg, and Darryl Bryant contributes 11.3 ppg. Ruoff was nothing short of sensational in the victory over Radford last time out, as he poured in a career-high 38 points on the strength of a school-record nine three-pointers. Ruoff, who was 9-of-14 from behind the arc, posted eight rebounds and five steals as well. Butler and Bryant chipped in with 11 points apiece for WVU, which won by 35 points despite shooting below 40 percent from the field. The Mountaineers earned a 48-31 rebounding advantage, including a 23-7 edge on the offensive boards, and they forced 25 turnovers in the clash.

Ohio State has been even better than West Virginia at the defensive end this season, as the Buckeyes are holding opponents to a mere 53.6 ppg on 36.4 percent shooting from the floor. They are netting 68.8 ppg at the offensive end, and while the club can not be described as explosive, its scoring output has clearly been sufficient. Evan Turner has been outstanding through nine games, as he is posting 16.6 ppg on 55.4 percent shooting from the field. He is also pulling down 6.8 rpg while leading the team in assists (28) and steals (26). In Monday’s romp over UNC-Asheville, B.J. Mullens scored 19 points in 25 minutes of action off the bench. Turner added 17 points for Ohio State, and William Bufford pitched in 16 points. As for Dallas Lauderdale, he finished with 11 points. The Buckeyes connected on 51.6 percent of their field goal attempts while limiting the Bulldogs to 35.4 percent.

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