How to Watch Indiana's Game at Ohio State Saturday; Gametime, TV, Point Spread

Indiana has been better on the road than at home this season, and has performed well in three games against top-8 teams. Saturday's game at No. 4 Ohio State is a golden opportunity for the Hoosiers to grab another signature win.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana's Archie Miller and Ohio State's Chris Holtmann came into the Big Ten together at the same, and so far the border war rivalry has been one-sided in Holtmann's favor. 

Based on numbers, that trend should continue when the two teams get together on  Saturday for their only meeting of the year. Ohio State has been blazing hot lately, winning eight of nine games to rise up to No. 4 in the country. Holtmann, who is 5-1 against Miller, now has visions of getting a top-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They've been that good.

Indiana is back to .500 in the Big Ten after dramatic wins over Iowa and Northwestern, and now they're trying to get a third win against a top-8 team this season. It's a big game in front of a national TV audience, with ESPN's best broadcast team on the call.

Here are the particulars on Saturday's game:

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (11-8 overall, 6-6 in the Big Ten) at Ohio State Buckeyes  (16-4 overall, 10-4 in the Big Ten).
• When: Noon ET, Saturday, Feb. 13
• Where: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio.
• Latest Line: Ohio State is a 7-point favorite over Indiana, according to the DraftKings.com website as of 6 a.m. ET on Saturday. The over/under is 139.5
• Poll rankings: Ohio State has gone from unranked to No. 4 in the country in the Associated Press poll in just five weeks thanks to winning eight of nine games, including four wins over top-15 teams. The Buckeyes are No. 5 in the Coaches poll. Indiana is not ranked. 
• Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana remained at No. 27 in the Kenpom rankings after Wednesday night's win over Northwestern. Ohio State checks in at No. 7.
• Series history: Indiana leads 108-86. The Hoosiers are just 1-5 against Ohio State in the Archie Miller/Chris Holtmann era, and 0-2 in Columbus.
• Last meeting: The teams last met on Feb. 1, 2020 in Columbus and Ohio State won 69-58. 
• TV: ESPN
• Announcers: Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (color commentary)
• Radio: Indiana Radio Network
• Announcers: Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and Joe Smith
• Streaming: IUHoosiers.com/broadcast

Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers against Northwestern on Wednesday:

1. Get Trayce going early

Last year, Ohio State made Trayce Jackson-Davis a non-factor during his freshman season. In the two games combined, he was just 3-for-9 shooting from the field and scored seven points in the February loss in Columbus and just six points in the January win in Bloomington. That can't happen again.

Jackson-Davis has been relatively quiet the last four games, averaging only 14.7 points per game and he's just 22-for-53 from the field in those games, which isn't good enough for shooting who's shooting right around the rim most of the time. He needs to convert at a higher rate. Ohio State plays small, so Jackson-Davis should be able to finish over the top in this one.

2. Stop with these slow starts

Indiana has struggled out of the gate all season, and these slow starts have gotten frustrating for all involved. The comebacks are nice, and Indiana's resolve has been admirable, but that can't last forever. Ohio State plays great defense, and falling behind early by double-digits to them is a recipe for disaster.

Indiana was downright horrible against Northwestern, scoring just seven points in the first 12-plus minutes. They were just 3-for-18 from the field and had missed all six free throw attempts. That can't happen Saturday. What's really been an issue early is that the guards haven't been hitting shots. Armaan Franklin, Rob Phinisee and Al Durham need to get off to a hot start. 

3. Embrace the underdog role ... again

Indiana might be unranked and already has eight losses, but they are 2-1 so far this season in games against top-8 teams, with two wins over Iowa and a double overtime loss at Wisconsin. This is another opportunity to gets a signature win on a national stage.

Ohio State has gone from unranked to No. 4 in the country in just five weeks, so let's not forget that they haven't exactly been a national powerhouse all season. They've lost to Northwestern, they've lost to Purdue – twice. The Buckeyes are beatable. Indiana beat Ohio State last year when the Buckeyes were ranked No. 11, so it can happen again. 

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• BRACKET UPDATES: Indiana is all over the map on current NCAA Tournament projections, but at least for now, all the experts have them in the tournament field. CLICK HERE
• JACKSON-DAVIS ON NAISMITH TROPHY TEAM: Trayce Jackson-Davis was one of 30 players selected to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA BEATS NORTHWESTERN IN DOUBLE OT: The Hoosiers survived an ugly game in Evanston on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
• LANDER SLOWING SHREDDING FRESHMAN STRUGGLES: Khristian Lander keeps getting better every game, and it comes as a result of him sticking with it. CLICK HERE

VIDEO: Previewing Indiana-Ohio State 

• HoosiersNow host Haley Jordan chats with publisher Tom Brew and BuckeyesNow publisher Brendan Gulick about Saturday's game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

PODCAST: Brew & Gulick chat all things Indiana and Ohio State