The Ohio State mens’ basketball team heads into tonight’s contest hoping to end their seven-game losing streak as they travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to face the 12th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in Mackey Arena.The Buckeyes also hope to snap another streak. They have currently lost 10 Big Ten games in a row, dating back to last season. One more loss will tie the Buckeyes’ longest Big Ten losing streak, which stands at 11. The Boilermakers, who are coming off a 94-88 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers Sunday, are looking to get back on the winning track against the Buckeyes.”This (Purdue) is a group of guys that know what they have to get done,” Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien said. “They’re mature enough to know in their minds this is a game that they can win, and this is a game they feel they have to win.”Purdue comes into the game with five players averaging double figures. They are led by the Boilermakers’ all-time leading 3-point shooter, senior guard Chad Austin. He holds team-highs with a 17.4 points per game average and a 3.7 assists per game average. He has also connected on 36 3-pointers.The other half of Purdue’s dynamic duo is six-foot-eleven, 250 pound senior center Brad Miller. He leads the team in rebounds with a 9.2 rebounds per game average, is their blocks leader with 30, and is also shooting an impressive 61 percent from the field. He is also averaging 16.1 ppg.”I think that they have a lot of good players that are capable of hurting you in different ways.” O’Brien said. “I think that’s what makes them pretty good.” As impressive as Purdue may seem, they are not about to take this game with the Buckeyes lightly.”They’re going to be difficult to play,” said Purdue head coach Gene Keady. “They have a new coach, a lot of young players, they have a freshman that is one of the top five freshman in the nation in scoring, it’s going to be tough.” In the midst of this seven-game slump, Coach O’Brien has found a few bright spots during the slide. The continued development of the team has impressed the coach, particularly the play of sophomore center Ken Johnson.”Kenny Johnson is doing a good job.” O’Brien said. “I thought that he did pretty well against Michigan. The thing that I like about Kenny is the other day he competed pretty hard when he was matched up against (Robert) Traylor.”He’s learning to compete a little more and is making good progress.”The team has still not let itself get down during this stretch of misfortune.”When you lose a couple of games, you look down the road to the next one,” said freshman forward Jon Sanderson. “You can’t think about losses when you are trying to get another win.”Heading into tonight’s game, the Boilermakers hold a 75-64 advantage in the series, having beaten the Buckeyes seven straight games. Purdue also holds a 49-20 edge in Mackey Arena.