• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ohio State looks for season sweep of Northwestern

Jan 24, 2007 - 3:37 PM No. 5 Ohio St (16-3) at Northwestern (11-8) 8:00 pm EST

EVANSTON, Illinois (Ticker) -- Greg Oden hopes for a better performance when he faces Northwestern for a second time.

Oden and fifth-ranked Ohio State aim for their fourth straight win Wednesday when they visit Northwestern in a Big Ten Conference clash.

Arguably the top freshman in the country, Oden is coming off his best collegiate performance. The 7-0 center scored a season-high 29 points and hauled in 10 rebounds Saturday to pace the Buckeyes to an 82-63 triumph over Iowa.

It was a remarkable bounce-back outing for Oden, who managed just five points in Ohio State's previous contest, a 73-41 rout of the Wildcats.

But Oden looked like a different player against the Hawkeyes, making 12-of-13 shots and 5-of-6 free throws. Fellow freshman Mike Conley Jr. dished out 10 assists for the Buckeyes (16-3, 4-1 Big Ten), who trail first-place Wisconsin (19-1, 5-0) by one game.

Northwestern (11-8, 1-5) picked up its first conference win this season with Saturday's 55-40 triumph at Minnesota.

Vince Scott scored 15 points for the Wildcats, who snapped a five-game skid.