Feb. 13, 2013
No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-6, 7-4) vs. the Northwestern Wildcats (13-11, 4-7)
| Date: | Feb. 10, 2013 |
| Site: | Value City Arena (18,809) |
| Game Time: | 7:05 p.m. ET |
| Television: | BTN |
| Talent: | Dave Revsine (play-by-play) Jim Jackson (expert analysis) |
| Radio: | OSU-IMG Sports Network (56 stations) |
| Satellite Radio: | Sirius 94/XM 190 |
| Local Radio: | WBNS FM-97.1 AM-1460 |
| Radio Talent: | Paul Keels (play-by-play) Ron Stokes (expert analysis) |
Upcoming Games All Times ET and subject to change |
| 3/30/13 | (9) Wichita St. | 7:05 p.m. ET |
| 4/6/13 | NCAA Final Four. * | 6/9 p.m. ET |
| 4/8/13 | NCAA Final. * | 9 p.m. ET |
| * - if necessary |
| Complete Schedule |
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Big Ten Conference Standings (Final Reg. Season Standings) |
| Team | Conf. | Overall |
| Indiana | 14-4 | 26-5 |
| Ohio State | 13-5 | 23-7 |
| Michigan State | 13-5 | 24-7 |
| Wisconsin | 12-6 | 21-10 |
| Michigan | 12-6 | 25-6 |
| Iowa | 9-9 | 20-11 |
| Purdue | 8-10 | 15-16 |
| Illinois | 8-10 | 21-11 |
| Minnesota | 8-10 | 20-11 |
| Nebraska | 5-13 | 16-17 |
| Northwestern | 4-14 | 13-18 |
| Penn State | 2-16 | 10-20 |
| BigTen.com Standings |
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Thomas, Craft Celebrate Century Mark
Both Deshaun Thomas (62 games started) and Aaron Craft (63 gs) will be playing in their 100th career game Thursday when Ohio State tips off vs. Northwestern. The junior starters have experienced great success over the first 99 games of their careers. Ohio State is 82-17 (.828) overall and 35-11 (.761) in Big Ten regular-season games over the last three seasons. The pair has two Big Ten regular-season titles, two Big Ten tournament apprearances with one BTT title (2011), two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and one trip to the Final Four (2012) to their credit. Classmate Lenzelle Smith Jr., shares the successes in 82 career game appearances.
The Northwestern Series
Overall, Ohio State is 111-45 vs. Northwestern and lead 65-14 in Columbus, including wins in the last 28 games played on the Buckeyes' home court. Ohio State has won 17 of the last 18 overall meetings, including each of the last six. Ranked OSU teams are 34-2 vs. the Wildcats. Aaron Craft leads Ohio State with 11.5 points per game in the Northwestern series in four career meetings. Craft is shooting 59 percent vs. NW (16-27) and 55 percent from distance (6-11). Deshaun Thomas is next with 9.3 ppg and an average of 4.3 rebounds in the series. Sophomore Amir Williams grabbed six boards in his lone appearance vs. the Wildcats last year.
A Look at the Wildcats
Northwestern travels to Columbus with a 13-11 overall record and a 4-7 slate in Big Ten regular season play. The Wildcats have lost three of the last four games, all on road, to Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa. The win during that stretch was at home vs. Purdue. Northwestern is 3-4 on the road this year with wins at Baylor, Penn State and Illinois.
Finally, Buckeyes spend Valentine's Day at home
Ohio State is 14-12 all-time on Feb. 14 with wins in three of the last four games played on this date. Ohio State has not played a home game on Feb. 14 since 1995 and has played nine of the last 10 Valentine's Day games away from home. Ohio State is 6-3 in those nine road games. The Buckeyes have played 20 of 26 Feb. 14 games on the road (11-9). Ohio State and Northwestern have not met previously on Feb. 14.
| Date | W/L | Opponent | Score OSU-Opp |
| 2/14/07 | W | @Baldwin Wallace | 37-27 |
| 2/14/14 | W | Denison | 28-21 |
| 2/14/20 | W | @Oberlin | 32-13 |
| 2/14/21 | L | @Indiana | 11-33 |
| 2/14/25 | W | Minnesota | 26-20 |
| 2/14/42 | L | @Wisconsin | 39-49 |
| 2/14/48 | W | Illinois | 57-50 |
| 2/14/49 | W | @St. Louis | 68(18)-60(2) |
| 2/14/53 | W | @Pittsburgh | 62-53 |
| 2/14/55 | L | @Iowa | 68-79(15) |
| 2/14/66 | L | @Indiana | 61-81 |
| 2/14/70 | W | @Indiana | 100-83 |
| 2/14/76 | L | @Purdue | 73-98 |
| 2/14/77 | L | Iowa (ot) | 70-74 |
| 2/14/80 | L | @Minnesota | 70(9)-74 |
| 2/14/81 | L | Illinois | 57-63(17) |
| 2/14/85 | W | @Indiana | 72-63 |
| 2/14/87 | W | @Northwestern | 75-60 |
| 2/14/91 | W | @Wisconsin | 73(2)-71 |
| 2/14/95 | L | Indiana | 52-69 |
| 2/14/98 | L | @Iowa | 70-82 |
| 2/14/04 | L | @Wisconsin | 48-78(17) |
| 2/14/07 | W | @Penn State | 64(2)-62 |
| 2/14/09 | L | @Wisconsin | 50(24)-55 |
| 2/14/10 | W | @Illinois | 72(13)-53 |
| 2/14/12 | W | @Minnesota | 78(6)-68 |
Craft Moving Up Big Ten Steals Chart
Aaron Craft is three steals shy of moving to the Top 8 in all-time steals in Big Ten history. After recording one steal vs. Indiana Sunday, Craft has 215 for his career, already the Ohio State record and currently tied for 10th all-time in Big Ten history. Melvin Newbern (1987-90) of Minnesota and Jitim Young (2001-04) of Northwestern are currently tied with Craft. Kendall Gill (1987-90) of Illinois and Titus Ivory (1998-2001) of Penn State are tied for the No. 8 spot with 218.
Career Steals (Big Ten)
| 1. | 324 | Bruce Douglas, Illinois | 1983-86 |
| 2. | 300 | Gary Grant, Michigan | 1985-88 |
| 3. | 275 | Mike Kelley, Wisconsin | 1998-2001 |
| 4. | 274 | Chris Kramer, Purdue | 2007-10 |
| 5. | 272 | Pat Baldwin, Northwestern | 1991-1994 |
| 6. | 259 | Brian Cardinal, Purdue | 1997-2000 |
| 7. | 231 | Dee Brown, Illinois | 2003-06 |
| 8. | 218 | Kendall Gill, Illinois | 1987-1990 |
| | | Titus Ivory, Penn State | 1998-2001 |
| 10. | 215 | Aaron Craft, Ohio State | 2010-present |
| | | Melvin Newbern, Minnesota | 1987-1990 |
| | | Jitim Young, Northwestern | 2001-04 |
Craft Makes List of 12 Cousy Finalists
Aaron Craft, a junior guard for the Buckeyes, is among the candidates for the 2013 Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to the top point guard in the country. The list of more than 80 nominations was cut to 12 Feb. 7. A final five will be announced March 11. The winner will be announced at the 2013 Final Four weekend. Fans can narrow the list to five by voting at
CousyAward.com.
For more on the Buckeyes click on the Ohio State Notes link above.