Ohio State men’s basketball set for pivotal game vs. Wisconsin: Buckeye Breakfast

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s men’s basketball team steps into a season-defining moment Tuesday night when it faces No. 24 Wisconsin on the road, desperately seeking its first victory over a ranked opponent and a lifeline to NCAA Tournament hopes that are hanging by a thread.

The Buckeyes enter the Kohl Center at 0-6 against Top 25 competition this winter after letting a second-half lead evaporate in a four-point loss to Virginia last weekend. That defeat left Chris Holtmann’s squad among the “first four out” in most bracket projections and magnified the importance of every remaining game on a daunting closing stretch.

Ohio State already tasted defeat at the hands of the Badgers once this season, dropping a 92-82 decision in Columbus. A repeat performance would push the Buckeyes to the brink of the wrong side of the bubble with only five games left: trips to Michigan State and Iowa, a home date with Purdue, a visit to Penn State and a regular-season finale against Indiana.

Tip-off in Madison is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

While the basketball program fights for its postseason life, Ohio State’s men’s tennis team supplied a Monday night jolt of positivity, upsetting top-ranked Virginia 4-2 in Dallas to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Finals. The Buckeyes will make their eighth appearance in the championship match Tuesday night and will defend the 2024 title they captured a year ago. Aidam Kim, Jack Anthrop and Nikita Filin collected singles victories, and the doubles tandems of Bradon Carpico/Filin and Kim/Bryce Nakashima sealed the decisive points.