Coming up: Penn State and Michigan

Where: Value City Arena

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Sunday

TV: Big Ten Network and CBS

Radio: WBNS-AM/FM (1460/97.1) Wednesday; FM only Sunday

The week that was

After Ohio State limited Indiana to 14 first-half points on Jan. 15, the question was whether, with six days between games, the defense would travel to Nebraska better than it did to Illinois in the Buckeyes’ most recent road game. After coach Thad Matta hit the restart button in the first timeout, it was — limiting the Cornhuskers to 13 field goals and forcing 27 turnovers in a 79-45 victory on Saturday. It was Ohio State’s second victory over Nebraska in 18 days by more than 30 points. It beat the Huskers 71-40 in Columbus on Jan. 3. Nebraska shot 30.8 percent from the field in the first game and 29.5 percent on Saturday, the two lowest percentages against the Buckeyes this season.

The week ahead

The Buckeyes will enjoy back-to-back Big Ten home games for the first time this season. Penn State is 0-4 in conference road games with margins of 18, 12, 12 and 19 points. Guard Tim Frazier, in Big Ten games, leads the conference in scoring (19.4 points per game), assists (5.3) and steals (2.5). Michigan will be playing on the road for the third straight game on Sunday, has lost its past three (Indiana, Iowa and Arkansas) and plays tonight at Purdue. Sunday’s game will be a homecoming for freshman point guard Trey Burke, a teammate of Jared Sullinger and J.D. Weatherspoon at Northland High School. Burke was named Big Ten freshman of the week yesterday for the fourth time this season.

How good are they?

The volatility of the Big Ten, and all of college basketball in general, inched the Buckeyes upward after a week in which they played only one game. The win at Nebraska moved them into a share of first place in the conference with Michigan and Michigan State, and up to No. 4 in the Associated Press media poll, behind Kentucky, Missouri and Syracuse. The coaches, in the USA Today/ESPN poll, put them No. 3, ahead of Syracuse. Ohio State remains No. 1 overall in the Pomeroy ratings, including a No. 1 defensive ranking of 77.5 points per 100 possessions that is a remarkable four points better than the second-best team, Wisconsin. There isn’t a separation of more than two points between adjacent teams anywhere else in the ratings except at the bottom.

Who’s/what’s hot?

Ohio State continues to lead all 338 NCAA Division I teams in scoring margin (22.0), which includes win margins of 33, 31 and 17 in its three Big Ten home games. The Buckeyes beat Duke in Value City Arena by 22 points. Opponents are averaging 18.4 turnovers and 6.8 more than Ohio State, each of which ranks second nationally. Nebraska’s 27 turnovers resulted in 22 points for the Buckeyes, whose 13 steals tied their second-highest total of the season. Sam Thompson had two steals and three blocked shots against the Cornhuskers, and Sullinger has 12 steals in his past four games. In conference play, Ohio State leads the Big Ten in fewest points allowed per game (57.4), defensive field-goal percentage (.391) and steals (8.4).

Who’s/what’s not?

It’s probably a blip in the big picture, but Nebraska was the first Big Ten team to outrebound Ohio State, which leads the conference in rebound margin in league play and is third nationally in defensive rebound percentage. The Huskers ganged up on Sullinger in the lane and their guards were better on the boards than the Buckeyes’ were. Ohio State had its lowest shooting percentage (.441) with Sullinger in the lineup, although the Big Three of Sullinger, William Buford and Deshaun Thomas were 17 of 30 from the field.

The Sully watch

Sullinger’s aggression and a couple of forced shots into the teeth of a triple-teaming Nebraska defense made him appear impatient and possibly frustrated, especially after he picked up his second foul on an offensive move and sat out the final 4:05 of the first half. Sullinger said after the game, though, that he was just following directions. “There was a couple times (assistant) coach (Chris) Jent told me to … get aggressive and attack it and see what they do. So that’s what I did,” he said. Sullinger had two points when he re-entered the game after a break with 9:46 to play in the first half. Until then, he had mostly passed out of the post when seeing the extra defenders close on him. “We wanted to get him going a little bit,” Matta said, “and we said, ‘Hey, take it up and go through them.’ ”

Outside the lines

The Buckeyes toured Nebraska’s new training facility, which includes a locker room featuring an iPad in each locker that allows players to receive messages and video clips from coaches before they even leave the building after practice. Best of all is that a player can program the music from his iPad to play at his shower. All it takes is the push of a button. Matta said his players brought the iPads to his attention a few weeks ago after seeing the locker room featured on the Big Ten Network. “Hey, Coach, what’s up with that?” Matta said they asked him. Plans for the Buckeyes’ new practice facility might have to be tweaked. They are in an arms race for recruits, after all.

Quotable

“I don’t think there is a bottom of the Big Ten this year.” — Matta, when asked about playing a team, Penn State, that “is toward the bottom of the Big Ten”

bbaptist@dispatch.com