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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State will open Big Ten play against Minnesota on Sunday evening. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Brandon Gaudin and Shon Morris will call the action.

• The Buckeyes and Golden Gophers are meeting for the 157th time with the Buckeyes officially leading the all-time series 90-61.
• Ohio State has won three of the last four meetings with the Golden Gophers. Last year, Minnesota nipped the Buckeyes 70-67 at Value City Arena on Jan. 12, 2023. Brice Sensabaugh led the Buckeyes with 18 points and notched his first-career double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds.
• Ohio State has lost only three games in Value City Arena against Minnesota (12-3). Jamison Battle was part of one of those wins last year. He will be playing his first of two regular season games against his previous team on Sunday.
• This is the 112th season of Big Ten basketball for the Buckeyes and they are 61-47 in Big Ten openers. They have five of the last six Big Ten openers.
• The Buckeyes have won five-consecutive games after a 1-1 start and are now 6-1 on the season. This past Wednesday, Bruce Thornton scored 25 points to spark an 88-61 rout of Central Michigan. Thornton was one of five Buckeyes in double-figures. Felix Okpara was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and all six were dunks. He finished with a career-high 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
• Minnesota is coming off a 97-64 win against the New Orleans Privateers on Thursday evening. The Buckeyes will play New Orleans later in the month. All 15 Golden Gophers saw the court to contribute to the win. Minnesota is 5-2 overall on the season.
• The Buckeyes are No. 21 in the latest KenPom ratings and have the 18th most-efficient offense in the country.
• Thornton is seventh in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.3 ppg and has dished-out 31 assists with just six turnovers this season.
• On the strength of his 6-for-6 on Wednesday, Okpara leads the team in field goal percentage at 65.5. He also tops the team in rebounding at 6.4 rpg and is third in the Big Ten with 15 blocked shots. He has blocked at least one shot in 14 consecutive games.
• Jamison Battle has made at least one three-pointer in every game this season, including multiple threes in six of seven games. He is just 24 three-pointers away from 300 in his career.