COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State returned home and returned to its winning ways.
The Buckeyes beat Penn State, 61-56, for its eighth win at Value City Arena this season.
Here’s a few takeaways.
Ohio State can win ugly
Ohio State couldn’t find anything.
The same narrative continued from the Wisconsin game when the Buckeyes first took the floor against Penn State: hitting only two of their first eight attempts from the field with none of their three attempts from 3 falling.
With that, Penn State seemingly had everything it wanted, driving to the hoop, finding forward Greg Lee outside for a 3.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann took a timeout, seemingly all it took for the Buckeyes to regroup and turn things around.
Out of that timeout, the Buckeyes were a different team.
Ohio State was ferocious defensively, forcing two turnovers, recording three blocks, starting a Nittany Lions scoreless streak that lasted over five minutes and a streak of no Penn State field goals that lasted nearly seven minutes.
The Buckeyes answered Penn State’s mid-half scoring drought with one of their own, not recording a shot in the final six minutes. But they still held a five-point lead at half.
The offensive inconsistencies continued into the second half, failing to score a field goal in the final 5:07, but Ohio State did enough to stop Penn State, getting those 50/50 balls, ending the game with five steals, three of which came in the second half.
In the Big Ten, these types of wins must happen. And Ohio State got one of them today.
Ohio State needs Zed Key
Zed Key explained Saturday why paint play is so important to Ohio State.
If the Buckeyes step up, establishing a paint presence early, one that’s consistent and looks like an option over and over, defenders will crash the paint, allowing open holes on the outside for Ohio State’s 3-point shooters.
In the second half, Ohio State found its home inside the 3-point line, making seven of its 14 attempts from inside the line while only attempting three 3s in the final 20 minutes.
Key finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks, kind of setting the tone in driving to the paint, getting contact and getting to the line, something that Penn State never really allowed before Sunday.
It’s the versatility Ohio State needs offensively. The Buckeyes are indeed one of the more efficient offenses in the country, but they have become a bit predictable, falling in love with the deep shot, settling for NBA-range tries instead of trying to bully its way inside.
That may work when players like Justin Ahrens is hot. But when the Buckeyes can’t get 3-point shots to fall consistently, it needs another way to generate offense.
That’s where Key and E.J. Liddell come in, getting the attention with each time they back up into a player, getting closer and closer into the paint. That’s what’s going to create the space needed for Ohio State moving forward, where Ohio State is going to find its rhythm.
News and notes
Meechie Johnson Jr. missed his second-straight game after suffering a facial injury in the practices leading up to the Wisconsin game. Holtmann said after the game the guard is "day-to-day" but that it could be a few weeks until he is fully healed.
Ohio State attempted 36 free throws against a Penn State team that came in allowing 12.4 free throws per game. The Buckeyes shot 66.7% from the line.
Ohio State did not record a field goal in the final 5:07 of the game and still won by five points.
What this means
This was a prototypical Ohio State game from this 2021-22 team, but in a way that’s really unlike what this team is.
The Buckeyes continued to struggle mightily offensively overall, shooting 38.6% from the floor and 25% from 3. But they stayed ahead, allowing their opponent to get close at the end, cutting the lead down to four with less than 10 seconds left, but do just enough to win.
That’s the same.
It’s the way Ohio State got there that was different.
Ohio State recorded 37 rebounds compared to Penn State’s 30, with three players — Justin Ahrens, E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young — recording at least seven. Ohio State attempted only three 3-point shots in the second half, spending most of its time inside, shooting 47.1 from the floor.
It’s another way Ohio State can win in the Big Ten. But it still showed a lot of issues that need to be fixed.
What’s next
Ohio State returns to non-conference play Tuesday with a date against one-win IUPUI.
The Buckeyes beat Penn State, 61-56, for its eighth win at Value City Arena this season.
Here’s a few takeaways.
Ohio State can win ugly
Ohio State couldn’t find anything.
The same narrative continued from the Wisconsin game when the Buckeyes first took the floor against Penn State: hitting only two of their first eight attempts from the field with none of their three attempts from 3 falling.
With that, Penn State seemingly had everything it wanted, driving to the hoop, finding forward Greg Lee outside for a 3.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann took a timeout, seemingly all it took for the Buckeyes to regroup and turn things around.
Out of that timeout, the Buckeyes were a different team.
Ohio State was ferocious defensively, forcing two turnovers, recording three blocks, starting a Nittany Lions scoreless streak that lasted over five minutes and a streak of no Penn State field goals that lasted nearly seven minutes.
The Buckeyes answered Penn State’s mid-half scoring drought with one of their own, not recording a shot in the final six minutes. But they still held a five-point lead at half.
The offensive inconsistencies continued into the second half, failing to score a field goal in the final 5:07, but Ohio State did enough to stop Penn State, getting those 50/50 balls, ending the game with five steals, three of which came in the second half.
In the Big Ten, these types of wins must happen. And Ohio State got one of them today.
Ohio State needs Zed Key
Zed Key explained Saturday why paint play is so important to Ohio State.
If the Buckeyes step up, establishing a paint presence early, one that’s consistent and looks like an option over and over, defenders will crash the paint, allowing open holes on the outside for Ohio State’s 3-point shooters.
In the second half, Ohio State found its home inside the 3-point line, making seven of its 14 attempts from inside the line while only attempting three 3s in the final 20 minutes.
Key finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks, kind of setting the tone in driving to the paint, getting contact and getting to the line, something that Penn State never really allowed before Sunday.
It’s the versatility Ohio State needs offensively. The Buckeyes are indeed one of the more efficient offenses in the country, but they have become a bit predictable, falling in love with the deep shot, settling for NBA-range tries instead of trying to bully its way inside.
That may work when players like Justin Ahrens is hot. But when the Buckeyes can’t get 3-point shots to fall consistently, it needs another way to generate offense.
That’s where Key and E.J. Liddell come in, getting the attention with each time they back up into a player, getting closer and closer into the paint. That’s what’s going to create the space needed for Ohio State moving forward, where Ohio State is going to find its rhythm.
News and notes
Meechie Johnson Jr. missed his second-straight game after suffering a facial injury in the practices leading up to the Wisconsin game. Holtmann said after the game the guard is "day-to-day" but that it could be a few weeks until he is fully healed.
Ohio State attempted 36 free throws against a Penn State team that came in allowing 12.4 free throws per game. The Buckeyes shot 66.7% from the line.
Ohio State did not record a field goal in the final 5:07 of the game and still won by five points.
What this means
This was a prototypical Ohio State game from this 2021-22 team, but in a way that’s really unlike what this team is.
The Buckeyes continued to struggle mightily offensively overall, shooting 38.6% from the floor and 25% from 3. But they stayed ahead, allowing their opponent to get close at the end, cutting the lead down to four with less than 10 seconds left, but do just enough to win.
That’s the same.
It’s the way Ohio State got there that was different.
Ohio State recorded 37 rebounds compared to Penn State’s 30, with three players — Justin Ahrens, E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young — recording at least seven. Ohio State attempted only three 3-point shots in the second half, spending most of its time inside, shooting 47.1 from the floor.
It’s another way Ohio State can win in the Big Ten. But it still showed a lot of issues that need to be fixed.
What’s next
Ohio State returns to non-conference play Tuesday with a date against one-win IUPUI.
