Ohio State is leading the nation in basketball attendance with a record crowd of 6,082 for the NCAA tournament opener against Indiana.
Ohio State won its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament game Saturday with a 93-92 victory over Purdue in the opening round.
The Buckeyes (34-9) are now 2-0 against ranked opponents and 2-1 against teams with fewer than 10 wins in NCAA tournament history.
Indiana (24-18) is a No. 15 seed and will play in the first round.
Ohio’s home court advantage in the tournament is the most in the country and is likely to come down to how many games the Buckeyes win on home court.
The Hoosiers have won just two of their last nine games on the road.
Ohio and Indiana have played to the best of their abilities, but the Hoosier team is also coming off a 71-67 loss at Ohio State on Saturday.
Indiana has the better record of the two teams, with a 20-7 record at home.
“I don’t think you’ll find a more talented team than Ohio State right now,” Hoosylist coach Nate Britt said.
“They have such a good group.
I’m sure we’re going to play some great teams and maybe a couple of really good teams that will come up against us.
We’ve just got to stay focused and keep fighting.”
The Hoosters are playing their second straight NCAA tournament.
Their only loss was a 76-68 loss to Minnesota in the 2010 Final Four.
Indiana’s season is in its first year in the Big Ten and has never won a conference tournament title.
It’s currently 10-7 and is tied for ninth in the nation with its only loss coming to No. 5 seed Villanova in the 2014 NCAA tournament in Atlanta.
“We’re not playing for a championship,” Britt said of his team.
“Our goal is just to play well enough to get to the Final Four and to win a championship.”
The Buckeye bench has averaged a double-double in three straight games, averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.
The bench has shot 43.3 percent from the floor in those three wins, including 37.4 percent from 3-point range.
The top scorer in the NCAA is guard Jordan Bell, who is averaging 25.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
He is shooting 58.3 from the field and 38.6 from beyond the arc.
Bell was averaging 13.5 assists per game in the two losses, but he is shooting 39.9 percent from beyond 5 feet this season.
Indiana was led by sophomore guard Aaron Harrison, who has made 22 of 31 from 3s.
He has made 10 of 27 attempts from long range in those games.
Indiana is shooting 42.9 from the free throw line in those losses.
The Pacers are averaging 31.5 free throw attempts per game, the third-highest mark in the conference.
The team has scored 90.5 per game from the line in its past five games.
The game is the first of three in Indianapolis for Indiana on Sunday.
