Gophers men’s basketball vs. Ohio State game preview: Broadcast info and analysis

7 p.m. Thursday vs. Ohio State at Williams Arena

TV; radio: BTN; 100.3 FM

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Opening bell: The Gophers (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten) had never won back-to-back Big Ten games during coach Ben Johnson’s tenure until earlier this month with a three-game winning streak. They can stack a second consecutive victory again Thursday in a rematch against Ohio State at Williams Arena. Sunday’s 81-70 win for Minnesota against Rutgers was their first meeting this season. The Buckeyes (15-11, 5-10) defeated the Gophers 84-74 in the Big Ten opener Dec. 3 in Columbus. DeLaSalle product Jamison Battle led the Buckeyes with 25 points against his former U teammates, which is still his season-high scoring mark. Both programs have gone in different directions since then. Johnson has more than doubled last season’s Big Ten win total. Ohio State had a five-game losing streak and fired coach Chris Holtmann on Feb. 14.

Watch him: Gophers big man Pharrel Payne made his presence felt Sunday with a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Payne had six points in the first matchup with Ohio State this season, but Dawson Garcia scored 28 of his career-high 36 points in the second half.

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Injuries: None.

Forecast: The Gophers led at halftime at Purdue a week ago, but they couldn’t finish off the upset. The Buckeyes got the same chance Sunday and held on to defeat Purdue 73-69. Battle was a big part of that court-storming win in Columbus with 19 points. You can bet he’ll be fired up to play well again in his first game at the Barn since he was wearing a Gophers uniform last season. Gophers players said they didn’t forget when Battle gestured to their bench after hitting a shot in the last meeting. Things might get personal.