COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State got its work done Tuesday night against IUPUI, blasting IUPUI, 83-37
Here’s a few takeaways.
E.J. Liddell does the dirty work
When E.J. Liddell was in the game, he was playing like he had nothing to lose. He was playing like he always did, even when he seemingly didn’t need to.
The junior forward gave Ohio State what it needed Tuesday night. He was a scorer like he always is, tying Malaki Branham and Zed Key for the team lead at half with seven points, making three of his five attempts from the floor. But the majority of his production against the Jaguars came on the glass.
Liddell was flying in every which way in and around the paint, nearly out-rebounding IUPUI’s eight rebounds in the first half with seven of his own, including three offensive boards.
Liddell finished the game with his seventh double-double of his career, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds. Up until the middle of the second half, the junior forward was out-rebounding the Jaguars by himself, recording 10 before IUPUI could bring in nine.
The junior forward is now 12 points away from becoming the 59th player in Ohio State history to reach 1,000 points for his career.
But where Liddell shined most Tuesday night was what he did when he was chasing possessions rather than scoring possessions.
Eugene Brown III shines in opportunity
Eugene Brown III was going to get a chance to show what he could do for Ohio State against IUPUI. It was not a matter of if, but how much.
And with the opportunity Brown was given, Brown took advantage.
The sophomore guard was a scoring machine, scoring eight points in the second half, making three of his four shots in the final 20 minutes with two rebounds.
Brown ended the game with a career-high 14 points, providing scoring ability both in the dribble-drive game — getting to the free-throw line a team-high six times, making five — and from the 3-point line.
If Ohio State needs a level of physicality, Brown showed Tuesday that he could be that option with some consistency.
Holtmann plays with his rotations
Ohio State’s starting lineup looked normal.
Jamari Wheeler, Malaki Branham, E.J. Liddell, Justin Ahrens and Zed Key took the floor for the tip off against IUPUI.
But it didn’t take long for head coach Chris Holtmann to start utilizing his bench.
Five minutes into the game, redshirt senior center Joey Brunk checked into the game, along with redshirt senior forward Kyle Young, as he normally does; followed by redshirt senior guard Cedric Russell, redshirt senior guard Jimmy Sotos and Brown.
The starters weren’t done for the day, but with 8:09 left in the first half, Ohio State had already gone 10 deep.
Depth and potential were showcased at points, whether it was from Russell’s seamless 3 or the playmaking ability of Sotos, dishing out three assists in his first five minutes of playing time, finishing the game with nine in 20 minutes.
But its shortcomings were shown at full display too, like Brunk’s turnover just over a minute into his day, adding an inability to put down a jumper or a try near the basket off an offensive rebound, even though Holtmann said he regrouped later and was able to play solid minutes off the bench.
Holtmann achieved the overarching goal of a game like this: using all of the players on his bench for at least four minutes.
News and notes
Wheeler left the game in the middle of the second half, being escorted by a member of the medical staff to the locker room. Holtmann said postgame the redshirt senior would be “fine.”
Harrison Hookfin scored his first points of the season, playing in the final four minutes against IUPUI after earning a scholarship from the program earlier in the week.
Ohio State finished the game on a 19-0 run.
The last time the Buckeyes allowed less than 40 points in a game was Nov. 21, 2016 against Western Carolina when they allowed 38.
What this means
Simply, nothing.
Ohio State got the game reps it needed. No, its issues were not fixed overnight against one of the worst teams in the country. What this game was was just an opportunity to up the confidence of the players in the locker room, find some momentum moving forward into Big Ten play, to get Liddell closer to 1,000 career points and head coach Chris Holtmann closer to 100 career wins as a Buckeye head coach.
Oh, and Cedric Russell can shoot 3s.
What’s next
No. 19 Ohio State returns to its conference schedule Saturday when the Buckeyes take on Nebraska at home. Tip off is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Here’s a few takeaways.
E.J. Liddell does the dirty work
When E.J. Liddell was in the game, he was playing like he had nothing to lose. He was playing like he always did, even when he seemingly didn’t need to.
The junior forward gave Ohio State what it needed Tuesday night. He was a scorer like he always is, tying Malaki Branham and Zed Key for the team lead at half with seven points, making three of his five attempts from the floor. But the majority of his production against the Jaguars came on the glass.
Liddell was flying in every which way in and around the paint, nearly out-rebounding IUPUI’s eight rebounds in the first half with seven of his own, including three offensive boards.
Liddell finished the game with his seventh double-double of his career, recording 13 points and 10 rebounds. Up until the middle of the second half, the junior forward was out-rebounding the Jaguars by himself, recording 10 before IUPUI could bring in nine.
The junior forward is now 12 points away from becoming the 59th player in Ohio State history to reach 1,000 points for his career.
But where Liddell shined most Tuesday night was what he did when he was chasing possessions rather than scoring possessions.
Eugene Brown III shines in opportunity
Eugene Brown III was going to get a chance to show what he could do for Ohio State against IUPUI. It was not a matter of if, but how much.
And with the opportunity Brown was given, Brown took advantage.
The sophomore guard was a scoring machine, scoring eight points in the second half, making three of his four shots in the final 20 minutes with two rebounds.
Brown ended the game with a career-high 14 points, providing scoring ability both in the dribble-drive game — getting to the free-throw line a team-high six times, making five — and from the 3-point line.
If Ohio State needs a level of physicality, Brown showed Tuesday that he could be that option with some consistency.
Holtmann plays with his rotations
Ohio State’s starting lineup looked normal.
Jamari Wheeler, Malaki Branham, E.J. Liddell, Justin Ahrens and Zed Key took the floor for the tip off against IUPUI.
But it didn’t take long for head coach Chris Holtmann to start utilizing his bench.
Five minutes into the game, redshirt senior center Joey Brunk checked into the game, along with redshirt senior forward Kyle Young, as he normally does; followed by redshirt senior guard Cedric Russell, redshirt senior guard Jimmy Sotos and Brown.
The starters weren’t done for the day, but with 8:09 left in the first half, Ohio State had already gone 10 deep.
Depth and potential were showcased at points, whether it was from Russell’s seamless 3 or the playmaking ability of Sotos, dishing out three assists in his first five minutes of playing time, finishing the game with nine in 20 minutes.
But its shortcomings were shown at full display too, like Brunk’s turnover just over a minute into his day, adding an inability to put down a jumper or a try near the basket off an offensive rebound, even though Holtmann said he regrouped later and was able to play solid minutes off the bench.
Holtmann achieved the overarching goal of a game like this: using all of the players on his bench for at least four minutes.
News and notes
Wheeler left the game in the middle of the second half, being escorted by a member of the medical staff to the locker room. Holtmann said postgame the redshirt senior would be “fine.”
Harrison Hookfin scored his first points of the season, playing in the final four minutes against IUPUI after earning a scholarship from the program earlier in the week.
Ohio State finished the game on a 19-0 run.
The last time the Buckeyes allowed less than 40 points in a game was Nov. 21, 2016 against Western Carolina when they allowed 38.
What this means
Simply, nothing.
Ohio State got the game reps it needed. No, its issues were not fixed overnight against one of the worst teams in the country. What this game was was just an opportunity to up the confidence of the players in the locker room, find some momentum moving forward into Big Ten play, to get Liddell closer to 1,000 career points and head coach Chris Holtmann closer to 100 career wins as a Buckeye head coach.
Oh, and Cedric Russell can shoot 3s.
What’s next
No. 19 Ohio State returns to its conference schedule Saturday when the Buckeyes take on Nebraska at home. Tip off is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Big Ten Network
