William Buford collected 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists as No. 2 Ohio State opened Big Ten play with an 87-54 victory over visiting Northwestern on Wednesday.

Jared Sullinger added 17 points and 14 rebounds and Deshaun Thomas scored 16 points for the Buckeyes (13-1), who are looking for their third straight conference championship. Next up for Ohio State is a visit to No. 15 Indiana on Saturday.

Northwestern (10-3) had a promising pre-conference showing but could not handle the defensive pressure of the Buckeyes.

The Wildcats rely heavily on stars John Shurna and Drew Crawford, and Ohio State adjusted its defense accordingly. The two shot a combined 4-of-18 in the first half as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 41-26 lead at the break.

It was tied 13-13 when Ohio State made its run, getting three 3-pointers from Jordan Sibert and seven points from Buford in a 19-2 burst.

The Wildcats never challenged in the second half.

Crawford finished with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting and Shurna totaled 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting for Northwestern.