My, how things have changed.

The last time the Ohio State men’s basketball team played Purdue, the Buckeyes were fighting to sustain what seemed like long-shot Big Ten championship hopes.

The Buckeyes arrived in West Lafayette, Ind., at 1-3 in conference play. With four minutes remaining in the game, OSU was down 10 and facing the virtual death sentence of a 1-4 conference record.

But the Buckeyes had other plans. They ended the game on an 18-4 run and stole a season-saving road win. It was the start of a nine-game, in-conference win streak that has left the Buckeyes tied with Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten.

A month later, OSU (20-6, 10-3) and Purdue (21-3, 9-3) meet tonight at the Schottenstein Center in a game with heavy Big Ten title implications. The No. 9 Buckeyes have reached the AP poll’s Top 10 for the first time in three years. The No. 4 Boilermakers are right behind OSU in the conference standings, tied for third.

If the Buckeyes expect to beat the Boilermakers tonight, they may need to do a better job of stopping Purdue junior Robbie Hummel. Although they survived the last encounter, Hummel torched the OSU 1-3-1 zone for 29 first-half points. It was not until coach Thad Matta assigned junior David Lighty to shadow Hummel that the Buckeyes were able to slow him down.

As they have done all season, OSU will likely employ both zone and man-to-man defenses tonight, but their ability to stop Hummel will be crucial.

“He’s a blue collar-type kid and he’s a great leader,” junior Evan Turner said of Hummel. “He can walk the walk and really set the tone for Purdue. He plays hard and he plays with a passion.”

A Buckeye win would allow them to keep pace with Michigan State and keep their conference title hopes alive. Although most OSU fans will keep a close eye on the Spartans in the home stretch of the season, Matta said his focus is and always had been squarely on his team.

“You’ve got to keep your focus on you,” Matta said. “I’ve been fortunate with some conference championships and my mind has always been the same. Let’s keep it on us and control the things that we can control.”

This isn’t the first time his team has been in contention for a conference title. He led the Buckeyes to outright regular season titles in 2006 and 2007. However, with the exception of junior David Lighty, none of the players on this year’s team have been a part of those championship teams.

For Turner, the opportunity is one that he and his teammates have embraced.

“I definitely think about the opportunity, but at the same time I’m not really nervous,” Turner said. “You have to go in prepared, have confidence and have an attack mentality.”

He and the rest of the Buckeyes know that all eyes will be on Columbus tonight. Considering what’s at stake, OSU’s battle with Purdue has the potential to be one of the year’s best games, not only in the Big Ten, but in all of college basketball.

Like Turner, Lighty said his team knows what’s at stake.

“It’s up to us,” Lighty said. “It’s in our hands to go and get the Big Ten championship.”