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Ohio State seeks signature road win against Wisconsin

Jan 9, 2007 - 4:34 PM No. 5 Ohio St (13-2) at No. 4 Wisconsin (15-1) 9:00 pm EST

MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Greg Oden and Ohio State have not posted a big road win all season. They will get a chance to do so Tuesday, but it will not be easy.

With a pair of road losses to highly-ranked teams likely fresh in their minds, the fifth-ranked Buckeyes visit No. 4 Wisconsin in a Big Ten Conference showdown.

Ohio State (13-2, 2-0 Big Ten) already has lost at No. 1 North Carolina on November 29 and was blown off the floor in an 86-60 loss at No. 2 Florida on December 23.

The Buckeyes have won three straight since the rout against the Gators and posted their first true road win of the season, a 62-44 triumph at Illinois on Saturday.

Oden missed the game in Chapel Hill but was in the lineup against Florida and managed only seven points and six rebounds in 28 foul-plagued minutes. The Buckeyes will need a much better effort out of their 7-0 freshman sensation against the Badgers.

"Wisconsin has very talented and experienced basketball players," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "The overriding factor for Wisconsin is experience, and I don't think you can put a price on anyone that has played 40-50 Big Ten games.

"They'll make adjustments, so Greg Oden has to be active and athletic to make sure he covers both the post and the outside."

Ohio State is looking for its first 3-0 start in conference play since 1991. The Buckeyes started conference play 7-0 that season and will have to win in a place where not many visiting teams fare well.

Wisconsin (15-1, 1-0) is off to its best start since it started 15-1 in the 1915-16 season and remains tough to beat at home. The Badgers are 39-2 in Big Ten home games under coach Bo Ryan. In Ryan's five seasons in Madison, Wisconsin is 84-5 at home.

A major reason for Wisconsin's fast start and home success this season is the play of senior swingman Alando Tucker. The preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, Tucker leads the Big Ten in scoring at 20.2 points per game and he has scored in double figures in 23 straight contests.