Teams who have had up-and-down seasons meet when No. 24 Ohio State hosts desperate Minnesota

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2014 file photo, Ohio State head coach Thad Matta instructs his team against Penn State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbus, Ohio. No. 24 Ohio State, still dogged by a bad spell in January, tries to stack together some solid wins as it heads into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. The next test comes Saturday against Minnesota, which beat the Buckeyes 63-53 when they went through that 1-5 downward spiral. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File) (The Associated Press)

169ef7e1-Buckeyes Building Momentum Basketball

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2014 file photo, Ohio State's Aaron Craft, left, goes up for a shot against Illinois' Rayvonte Rice during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbus, Ohio. No. 24 Ohio State, still dogged by a bad spell in January, tries to stack together some solid wins as it heads into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. The next test comes Saturday against Minnesota, which beat the Buckeyes 63-53 when they went through that 1-5 downward spiral. ( AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File) (The Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – It's getting close to the only time of year when winning streaks mean much in college basketball.

No. 24 Ohio State, still dogged by a bad spell in January, is trying to stack together some solid games heading into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

One of the key stats cited by postseason experts is a team's record is in its last 10 games.

The Buckeyes (21-6, 8-6 Big Ten), No. 3 and 15-0 at one point, have righted themselves from a 1-5 span to go 5-1 in their last six.

The next test comes Saturday against Minnesota (17-10, 6-8), which beat the Buckeyes 63-53 during their troubled times. The Golden Gophers are also desperate to build some momentum.