Ohio State struggled mightily Thursday night, ending its five-game win streak and losing its first game in Big Ten play to Indiana on the road.
Here are a few takeaways from Thursday's game.
E.J. Liddell vs. Trayce Jackson-Davis
This was the matchup, pitting two of the Big Ten’s leading scorers against one another. Both have the same set of skills: based down low with an ability to take over at any point of the court, showing an athleticism to create offense, defense and momentum for his team.
It’s something Indiana couldn’t get enough of when Trayce Jackson-Davis was concerned.
The redshirt sophomore was unstoppable. Offensively, the Hoosiers were putting him in positions to dominate, putting the ball into open lanes into the paint for him to drive and dunk, scoring 16 points in the first 20 minutes when no other Indiana player had more than four.
Defensively, it was his length and speed, seemingly coming out of nowhere with his blocks; exactly what Ohio State junior forward E.J. Liddell seems to do.
But Liddell was still getting the rust off.
In the first 20 minutes, the forward hit only two of his six attempts from the field, including two misses from 3. He was Ohio State’s leading force in the paint, recording five boards, while adding a block, but didn’t provide that tenacity offensively, splitting the leading scorer duties with Branham and Joey Brunk with six after 20 minutes.
And in the second half, things got worse.
Liddell made only one of his six attempts from the field, feeling the pressure of Indiana’s highly-ranked defense, finishing the game shooting 25% from the field.
Jackson-Davis, however, continued to dominate, finishing with his fifth double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds, adding five blocks.
It’s clear that where Liddell goes, Ohio State goes. Liddell struggled Thursday night, as did Ohio State’s offense, shooting 30.8% from the field and 29.6% from 3, recording 15 turnovers, including three each from Liddell and redshirt senior guard Jamari Wheeler.
If Liddell can’t set the tone on the road for the Buckeyes, taking over games and setting the expectation, it could be a long, volatile season for Ohio State, especially when the games begin to become more meaningful as tournament play nears.
The ebbs and flows of Malaki Branham
In the days leading up to Ohio State’s game against Indiana, head coach Chris Holtmann reiterated how impressed he was with freshman Malaki Branham’s performance against Nebraska, scoring 35 points: the most of any Buckeye player in a Big Ten game since 2000.
But Holtmann said to limit expectations moving forward.
He’s just a freshman. There will be ebbs and flows in his game.
Instead, Branham just picked up where he left off in Lincoln.
The freshman guard scored six of Ohio State’s first eight points against the Hoosiers, assisting junior forward E.J. Liddell’s score. He was driving to the hoop, taking a bounce pass for a tomahawk dunk.
He was comfortable, it seemed.
The tide came back though.
After starting the game with three makes on three attempts, Branham missed each of his next six attempts from the field, falling victim to Indiana’s third-ranked field-goal defense.
Branham did lead Ohio State in scoring, scoring a team-high seven points in the final 20 minutes with two shots on four attempts, along with a 3.
However, cold spells like the one Branham had at the end of the first half can turn the tide, turn the momentum for any opponent on the road.
For a freshman who only just finished his third Big Ten road game, that’s something he will have to learn.
News and notes
Joey Brunk’s homecoming
Joey Brunk was hearing it from the Assembly Hall crowd, enough to let them know it.
In his first three minutes of playing time, the redshirt senior center was backing up into his former teammates, starting 31 games for the Hoosiers in 2019-20, using the glass for four quick points: his season high.
He finished with a season-high six points, but only saw one minute of playing time in the second half.
Offensive woes
Ohio State shot 30.8% from the field and 29.6% from 2, with only one player — Brunk — shooting higher than 40% from the field.
Ohio State’s 51 points is its lowest tidal since March 6, 2019 when the Buckeyes lost to Northwestern in the penultimate game of the regular season.
What it means
This is what happens when you can’t hit 3-pointers against one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Ohio State tried its best, attempting 27 from deep, but only made eight, five of which came in the second half.
The Buckeyes were taken advantage of in and around the paint by Jackson-Davis, creating major matchup issues, issues that could not be solved over the course of play, which could be an issue with games against Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan approaching.
If any Big Ten opponent wants a primer on how to beat Ohio State, this is it. And while the Buckeyes may not be as rusty next time out as it continues to recover from three weeks off due to positive COVID-19 cases within the program, it’s still something that seems to be an overarching problem, not only due to rust.
What’s next
No. 13 Ohio State returns home looking to get back on track Sunday against Northwestern. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Here are a few takeaways from Thursday's game.
E.J. Liddell vs. Trayce Jackson-Davis
This was the matchup, pitting two of the Big Ten’s leading scorers against one another. Both have the same set of skills: based down low with an ability to take over at any point of the court, showing an athleticism to create offense, defense and momentum for his team.
It’s something Indiana couldn’t get enough of when Trayce Jackson-Davis was concerned.
The redshirt sophomore was unstoppable. Offensively, the Hoosiers were putting him in positions to dominate, putting the ball into open lanes into the paint for him to drive and dunk, scoring 16 points in the first 20 minutes when no other Indiana player had more than four.
Defensively, it was his length and speed, seemingly coming out of nowhere with his blocks; exactly what Ohio State junior forward E.J. Liddell seems to do.
But Liddell was still getting the rust off.
In the first 20 minutes, the forward hit only two of his six attempts from the field, including two misses from 3. He was Ohio State’s leading force in the paint, recording five boards, while adding a block, but didn’t provide that tenacity offensively, splitting the leading scorer duties with Branham and Joey Brunk with six after 20 minutes.
And in the second half, things got worse.
Liddell made only one of his six attempts from the field, feeling the pressure of Indiana’s highly-ranked defense, finishing the game shooting 25% from the field.
Jackson-Davis, however, continued to dominate, finishing with his fifth double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds, adding five blocks.
It’s clear that where Liddell goes, Ohio State goes. Liddell struggled Thursday night, as did Ohio State’s offense, shooting 30.8% from the field and 29.6% from 3, recording 15 turnovers, including three each from Liddell and redshirt senior guard Jamari Wheeler.
If Liddell can’t set the tone on the road for the Buckeyes, taking over games and setting the expectation, it could be a long, volatile season for Ohio State, especially when the games begin to become more meaningful as tournament play nears.
The ebbs and flows of Malaki Branham
In the days leading up to Ohio State’s game against Indiana, head coach Chris Holtmann reiterated how impressed he was with freshman Malaki Branham’s performance against Nebraska, scoring 35 points: the most of any Buckeye player in a Big Ten game since 2000.
But Holtmann said to limit expectations moving forward.
He’s just a freshman. There will be ebbs and flows in his game.
Instead, Branham just picked up where he left off in Lincoln.
The freshman guard scored six of Ohio State’s first eight points against the Hoosiers, assisting junior forward E.J. Liddell’s score. He was driving to the hoop, taking a bounce pass for a tomahawk dunk.
He was comfortable, it seemed.
The tide came back though.
After starting the game with three makes on three attempts, Branham missed each of his next six attempts from the field, falling victim to Indiana’s third-ranked field-goal defense.
Branham did lead Ohio State in scoring, scoring a team-high seven points in the final 20 minutes with two shots on four attempts, along with a 3.
However, cold spells like the one Branham had at the end of the first half can turn the tide, turn the momentum for any opponent on the road.
For a freshman who only just finished his third Big Ten road game, that’s something he will have to learn.
News and notes
Joey Brunk’s homecoming
Joey Brunk was hearing it from the Assembly Hall crowd, enough to let them know it.
In his first three minutes of playing time, the redshirt senior center was backing up into his former teammates, starting 31 games for the Hoosiers in 2019-20, using the glass for four quick points: his season high.
He finished with a season-high six points, but only saw one minute of playing time in the second half.
Offensive woes
Ohio State shot 30.8% from the field and 29.6% from 2, with only one player — Brunk — shooting higher than 40% from the field.
Ohio State’s 51 points is its lowest tidal since March 6, 2019 when the Buckeyes lost to Northwestern in the penultimate game of the regular season.
What it means
This is what happens when you can’t hit 3-pointers against one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Ohio State tried its best, attempting 27 from deep, but only made eight, five of which came in the second half.
The Buckeyes were taken advantage of in and around the paint by Jackson-Davis, creating major matchup issues, issues that could not be solved over the course of play, which could be an issue with games against Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan approaching.
If any Big Ten opponent wants a primer on how to beat Ohio State, this is it. And while the Buckeyes may not be as rusty next time out as it continues to recover from three weeks off due to positive COVID-19 cases within the program, it’s still something that seems to be an overarching problem, not only due to rust.
What’s next
No. 13 Ohio State returns home looking to get back on track Sunday against Northwestern. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
