Happy Monday!
This is said every week, but this is a BIG week for Ohio State.
Ohio State football opens its spring camp Tuesday, while Ohio State’s men’s basketball team will see if it can regroup and make a run in the Big Ten tournament starting Thursday.
Ahead of this loaded week, here’s what I’m thinking about. And it starts with the Buckeyes’ performance on the hardwood Sunday afternoon.
Zed Key means a lot to Ohio State.
For about a four-minute period in the middle of the first half, there wasn’t a better player on the floor than Zed Key.
The sophomore was originally deemed as a game-time decision, having missed each of Ohio State’s past three games after suffering an ankle injury against Maryland Feb. 27. But when he checked in, Key didn’t hold back.
He was a beast on the offensive glass, recording three offensive boards, two of which led to easy layups either from him or from sophomore guard Eugene Brown III. He was physical, backing up against Michigan forward Brandon Johns Jr. and putting up a contested layup, following up seconds later with a block on the other end of the floor.
This is what Ohio State had been missing: physicality down low. He wasn’t the versatile option Kyle Young was, but he was tough and gritty in the paint, not the sort of finesse finisher Joey Brunk is, but unafraid to push his way inside.
And then it was all over.
The sophomore reaggravated his right ankle injury, hobbling off the court on one leg and immediately heading to the locker room for the remainder of the first half.
Key showed up again. He jogged out onto the court at the end of halftime, clearly not 100% with a sort of hitch in his step, checking back in sporadically, but not showing that same fervor and intensity down low, leading to only two minutes of play in the final 20 minutes with no shot attempt and one defensive rebound.
The second half is when everything went wrong for Ohio State, especially in the post. E.J. Liddell was pretty much left to fend for himself, bringing in seven of the Buckeyes’ 15 boards in the final 20 minutes, while Brunk, who showed spurts of that same success he had against Michigan State in the first half, was a non-factor.
Key played seven minutes. For most of the second half, he was watching Ohio State’s downfall. But there was a level of light he brought for that brief period in the first half, something that showed off what his ideal role would be when healthy.
That kind of player is someone Ohio State needs in its lineup, whether it’s Key, Brunk, consistently and showing more of a physical presence down low, especially defensively, or Young, who head coach Chris Holtmann has emphasized multiple times how vital he is in terms of versatility.
Holtmann doesn’t know when or if Key or Young will be back 100%. But their presence is vital heading into the postseason.
Here’s why.
This was Michigan’s offensive game plan according to Coastal Carolina transfer guard, who led the way for the Wolverines with 21 points, hitting nine of his 16 attempts from the field, including three 3-pointers on six tries.
“We knew that they had bigger bigs that were kind of slower, so it was easy for us,” Jones said. “I was really just reading the big. If he stayed with me, I would drop off to (Moussa). If he left, then I had the layup. It wasn’t really hard to figure out.”
To him, it was the same mindset as the first game: attack downhill against Ohio State’s post players and get wide open layups. Sunday afternoon, Michigan connected on 12 of its 20 layup tries, recording 32 points in the paint against Ohio State.
For Ohio State’s defense, that’s a Young-shaped hole.
To Holtmann, that’s why the redshirt senior is so valuable: his ability to be a front-line guy who can switch with ease onto smaller and more elusive guards, a better matchup than say Key or Brunk, which gave Michigan what it wanted.
That’s where college basketball is heading: this positionless big, who can be an offensive playmaker in all facets of the game and guard anyone on the floor: positional versatility and defensive versatility, as Holtmann described it Sunday afternoon, something Ohio State is incredibly intentional with in recruiting.
But it comes down to effort too.
“It’s want to and dimensions, physical dimensions. It is want to. I think clearly we didn’t have enough want to on that end today,” Holtmann said. “I think that and our turnovers got us beat. Again, that’s on me. They didn’t have enough readiness for that that they needed to have.”
Here's a few more notes from Ohio State’s loss to Michigan.
Holtmann’s a pretty sentimental guy as coaches go. But Sunday’s game was too important to do that traditional “all seniors start” for Senior Day. It was a pretty self-explanatory ceremony before the game with the intention of seniors speaking to the crowd after… until the Buckeyes lost to Michigan, and all bets were off.
Anyways, the lineup was normal: Brunk (starting for Key), Wheeler, Ahrens (who replaced Brown in the starting five, but has started this season), Liddell and Malaki Branham.
It didn’t hit me until right after tip off: There’s a chance that every one of those players are gone in 2022-23. There’s been no indication that the Ohio State freshman would go pro after one year with the program, but there’s been more and more buzz as the season’s gone along.
He’s become more and more efficient, showing an ability to shoot the 3, while also driving the lane, he’s an adequate playmaker and rebounder, using his 6-foot-5 frame pretty effectively and is a much better defender as he was before.
Is he a work in progress? Sure, but there is something to be said about him showing up in a few mock drafts already.
Will he go? I honestly would be a bit surprised. He could have the chance to really shine for Ohio State next season, take possession of the team like Liddell did, while improving on the things NBA scouts tell him heading into what would be likely his final year of college basketball.
But there is always a chance, and when he lined up for that tip off Sunday, it definitely crossed my mind.
So, let’s talk about the Big Ten tournament.
Instead of going in depth on each possible matchup, I’m just going to give you my bracket:
March 9
No. 13 Nebraska over No. 12 Northwestern
No. 11 Penn State over No. 14 Minnesota
March 10
No. 8 Michigan over No. 9 Indiana
No. 5 Iowa over No. 13 Nebraska
No. 7 Michigan State over No. 10 Maryland
No. 6 Ohio State over No. 11 Penn State
March 11
No. 1 Illinois over No. 8 Michigan
No. 5 Iowa over No. 4 Rutgers
No. 2 Wisconsin over No. 7 Michigan State
No. 3 Purdue over No. 6 Ohio State
March 12
No. 5 Iowa over No. 1 Illinois
No. 3 Purdue over No. 2 Wisconsin
March 13
No. 3 Purdue over No. 5 Iowa for the Big Ten tournament title
Watch it happen.
On to spring football.
Can you feel it?
It’s here: spring football.
Spring camp starts Tuesday with a morning practice, which Zack Carpenter and I will be attending the beginning of, trying to glean whatever we can from the light stretching of the first periods before we are shooed away, waiting to hear from Ryan Day, Jim Knowles and Kevin Wilson afterwards.
And you all will get every inch of detail we get from these practices and conversations with coaches and players during these weeks leading up to the spring game.
But from every conversation that I’ve had with players and coaches alike during winter workouts, there seems to be this sense of excitement and eagerness to see what all the changes officially look like when they all get on the same field together, primarily with the new coaches.
And that starts with the defense.
Something incredibly interesting that I heard from Day at Ohio State’s career and NIL expo Friday was about how he and the rest of the coaching staff were “slowly installing the defense,” working with Knowles, safeties coach Perry Eliano and cornerbacks and secondary coach Tim Walton to establish a good base heading into spring.
It’s something Ohio State sophomore defensive end Jack Sawyer has seen too.
“Coach Knowles is a really good guy. He obviously knows the game of football really well on the defensive side of the ball,” he saud. “You just look at the stats: Oklahoma State has been in the top five the last three years since he took over a really in-shambles defense in the Big 12. He’s done a really good job with us, and we;ve loved him so far.
“He puts things where we can take it and put it directly to the field without really having to think about it. I think it’s going to allow us to play much faster, allow us athletes to be able to play out there without thinking.”
That was always the goal with Knowles, explaining his approach to teaching his defense when we first talked to him, through game-show quizzes in position meetings or calling out a player’s name or showing his picture, forcing that player to answer a question about the defense in less than two seconds or “the play’s over.”
That’s all the Ohio State defensive coordinator wants out of his group: one that doesn’t have to think and just performs to a tee.
Speaking of, here’s what’s on the offseason checklist for Ohio State’s safeties.
Just like we did last week with the linebackers, here’s three things Ohio State’s safeties room must do this offseason to set up for a successful fall.
I’ll set the scene.
I was heading to Panera to get some work done — always better with a pumpkin muffin and a hazelnut roast — and this story came across my Twitter feed. I thought, “What the hell,” and started to read.
It’s probably the most beautiful story I have read in a long time just because of its staying power.
The concept of community he talks about at the end of the piece is a goal of mine, to have that “relational insurance” with those around me, it’s vital. We weren’t meant to do life alone, my friends.
Not only did I post it on the board, but I began to send it to those close to me, getting the response of, ‘Yeah, this is what I need too.”
So read this, let it define your week. And then come back here and read all the stuff we have cooking for you here at Scarlet and Gray Report. Trust me, there’s a lot coming.
Song of the week
Starting this week, I’ll have a lot of driving to do, going from Indianapolis and back before I follow Ohio State wherever it plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
So I thought of this question (one I want you guys to answer too): what is the best driving music?
For me, it’s either something I know incredibly well, say Talking Heads, The National, Coldplay, or something that just moves along, keeps me engaged, focused and energized.
As of late, that’s been Dire Straits for me.
If you see me on I-70 West heading toward Indianapolis Thursday afternoon, this very well could be what I’m jamming to.
See you on the board.
This is said every week, but this is a BIG week for Ohio State.
Ohio State football opens its spring camp Tuesday, while Ohio State’s men’s basketball team will see if it can regroup and make a run in the Big Ten tournament starting Thursday.
Ahead of this loaded week, here’s what I’m thinking about. And it starts with the Buckeyes’ performance on the hardwood Sunday afternoon.
Zed Key means a lot to Ohio State.
For about a four-minute period in the middle of the first half, there wasn’t a better player on the floor than Zed Key.
The sophomore was originally deemed as a game-time decision, having missed each of Ohio State’s past three games after suffering an ankle injury against Maryland Feb. 27. But when he checked in, Key didn’t hold back.
He was a beast on the offensive glass, recording three offensive boards, two of which led to easy layups either from him or from sophomore guard Eugene Brown III. He was physical, backing up against Michigan forward Brandon Johns Jr. and putting up a contested layup, following up seconds later with a block on the other end of the floor.
This is what Ohio State had been missing: physicality down low. He wasn’t the versatile option Kyle Young was, but he was tough and gritty in the paint, not the sort of finesse finisher Joey Brunk is, but unafraid to push his way inside.
And then it was all over.
The sophomore reaggravated his right ankle injury, hobbling off the court on one leg and immediately heading to the locker room for the remainder of the first half.
Key showed up again. He jogged out onto the court at the end of halftime, clearly not 100% with a sort of hitch in his step, checking back in sporadically, but not showing that same fervor and intensity down low, leading to only two minutes of play in the final 20 minutes with no shot attempt and one defensive rebound.
The second half is when everything went wrong for Ohio State, especially in the post. E.J. Liddell was pretty much left to fend for himself, bringing in seven of the Buckeyes’ 15 boards in the final 20 minutes, while Brunk, who showed spurts of that same success he had against Michigan State in the first half, was a non-factor.
Key played seven minutes. For most of the second half, he was watching Ohio State’s downfall. But there was a level of light he brought for that brief period in the first half, something that showed off what his ideal role would be when healthy.
That kind of player is someone Ohio State needs in its lineup, whether it’s Key, Brunk, consistently and showing more of a physical presence down low, especially defensively, or Young, who head coach Chris Holtmann has emphasized multiple times how vital he is in terms of versatility.
Holtmann doesn’t know when or if Key or Young will be back 100%. But their presence is vital heading into the postseason.
Here’s why.
This was Michigan’s offensive game plan according to Coastal Carolina transfer guard, who led the way for the Wolverines with 21 points, hitting nine of his 16 attempts from the field, including three 3-pointers on six tries.
“We knew that they had bigger bigs that were kind of slower, so it was easy for us,” Jones said. “I was really just reading the big. If he stayed with me, I would drop off to (Moussa). If he left, then I had the layup. It wasn’t really hard to figure out.”
To him, it was the same mindset as the first game: attack downhill against Ohio State’s post players and get wide open layups. Sunday afternoon, Michigan connected on 12 of its 20 layup tries, recording 32 points in the paint against Ohio State.
For Ohio State’s defense, that’s a Young-shaped hole.
To Holtmann, that’s why the redshirt senior is so valuable: his ability to be a front-line guy who can switch with ease onto smaller and more elusive guards, a better matchup than say Key or Brunk, which gave Michigan what it wanted.
That’s where college basketball is heading: this positionless big, who can be an offensive playmaker in all facets of the game and guard anyone on the floor: positional versatility and defensive versatility, as Holtmann described it Sunday afternoon, something Ohio State is incredibly intentional with in recruiting.
But it comes down to effort too.
“It’s want to and dimensions, physical dimensions. It is want to. I think clearly we didn’t have enough want to on that end today,” Holtmann said. “I think that and our turnovers got us beat. Again, that’s on me. They didn’t have enough readiness for that that they needed to have.”
Here's a few more notes from Ohio State’s loss to Michigan.
- E.J. Liddell is very good. And he was a very good “big” Sunday, bringing in 13 rebounds and three blocks. But it did seem to limit his production a bit offensively, making four of his 10 attempts from the field, while connecting on seven-of-nine from the free-throw line.
- Justin Ahrens’ 3-point shot was as good as it has been all season against Michigan, ending the game as the one of two players, along with one minute of play from Jimmy Sotos, to have a positive plus/minus.
- That 6-0 run by Brunk at the end of the first half may have been the loudest I have ever heard the Schott. But he needs to have a better handle on the ball in the post if he’s going to be a consistent option heading into March.
- Ohio State turned over the ball 20.6% of possessions. That’s not going to win games, no matter how well you shoot from 3.
Holtmann’s a pretty sentimental guy as coaches go. But Sunday’s game was too important to do that traditional “all seniors start” for Senior Day. It was a pretty self-explanatory ceremony before the game with the intention of seniors speaking to the crowd after… until the Buckeyes lost to Michigan, and all bets were off.
Anyways, the lineup was normal: Brunk (starting for Key), Wheeler, Ahrens (who replaced Brown in the starting five, but has started this season), Liddell and Malaki Branham.
It didn’t hit me until right after tip off: There’s a chance that every one of those players are gone in 2022-23. There’s been no indication that the Ohio State freshman would go pro after one year with the program, but there’s been more and more buzz as the season’s gone along.
He’s become more and more efficient, showing an ability to shoot the 3, while also driving the lane, he’s an adequate playmaker and rebounder, using his 6-foot-5 frame pretty effectively and is a much better defender as he was before.
Is he a work in progress? Sure, but there is something to be said about him showing up in a few mock drafts already.
Will he go? I honestly would be a bit surprised. He could have the chance to really shine for Ohio State next season, take possession of the team like Liddell did, while improving on the things NBA scouts tell him heading into what would be likely his final year of college basketball.
But there is always a chance, and when he lined up for that tip off Sunday, it definitely crossed my mind.
So, let’s talk about the Big Ten tournament.
Instead of going in depth on each possible matchup, I’m just going to give you my bracket:
March 9
No. 13 Nebraska over No. 12 Northwestern
No. 11 Penn State over No. 14 Minnesota
March 10
No. 8 Michigan over No. 9 Indiana
No. 5 Iowa over No. 13 Nebraska
No. 7 Michigan State over No. 10 Maryland
No. 6 Ohio State over No. 11 Penn State
March 11
No. 1 Illinois over No. 8 Michigan
No. 5 Iowa over No. 4 Rutgers
No. 2 Wisconsin over No. 7 Michigan State
No. 3 Purdue over No. 6 Ohio State
March 12
No. 5 Iowa over No. 1 Illinois
No. 3 Purdue over No. 2 Wisconsin
March 13
No. 3 Purdue over No. 5 Iowa for the Big Ten tournament title
Watch it happen.
On to spring football.
Can you feel it?
It’s here: spring football.
Spring camp starts Tuesday with a morning practice, which Zack Carpenter and I will be attending the beginning of, trying to glean whatever we can from the light stretching of the first periods before we are shooed away, waiting to hear from Ryan Day, Jim Knowles and Kevin Wilson afterwards.
And you all will get every inch of detail we get from these practices and conversations with coaches and players during these weeks leading up to the spring game.
But from every conversation that I’ve had with players and coaches alike during winter workouts, there seems to be this sense of excitement and eagerness to see what all the changes officially look like when they all get on the same field together, primarily with the new coaches.
And that starts with the defense.
Something incredibly interesting that I heard from Day at Ohio State’s career and NIL expo Friday was about how he and the rest of the coaching staff were “slowly installing the defense,” working with Knowles, safeties coach Perry Eliano and cornerbacks and secondary coach Tim Walton to establish a good base heading into spring.
It’s something Ohio State sophomore defensive end Jack Sawyer has seen too.
“Coach Knowles is a really good guy. He obviously knows the game of football really well on the defensive side of the ball,” he saud. “You just look at the stats: Oklahoma State has been in the top five the last three years since he took over a really in-shambles defense in the Big 12. He’s done a really good job with us, and we;ve loved him so far.
“He puts things where we can take it and put it directly to the field without really having to think about it. I think it’s going to allow us to play much faster, allow us athletes to be able to play out there without thinking.”
That was always the goal with Knowles, explaining his approach to teaching his defense when we first talked to him, through game-show quizzes in position meetings or calling out a player’s name or showing his picture, forcing that player to answer a question about the defense in less than two seconds or “the play’s over.”
That’s all the Ohio State defensive coordinator wants out of his group: one that doesn’t have to think and just performs to a tee.
Speaking of, here’s what’s on the offseason checklist for Ohio State’s safeties.
Just like we did last week with the linebackers, here’s three things Ohio State’s safeties room must do this offseason to set up for a successful fall.
- Getting to know Perry Eliano: Perry Eliano’s recent track record speaks for itself, helping develop both Coby Bryant and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner for a Cincinnati team that was one of the best defenses in the country last season. From what has been said about Eliano, whether it’s on the recruiting trail or from those players that have been around him, he’s an incredibly personable and approachable presence who prioritizes relationships before the game itself. Can that translate in a room that saw its own share of struggles last season?
- Making Tanner McCalister a leader in the room: There may not be a more important acquisition for Ohio State this offseason than the former Oklahoma State cover safety. If anything, Tanner McCalister has already been a leader, teaching those around the program what he expects Knowles to bring from Stillwater, being that go-between before spring ball started. Now, he has a chance to put it into practice as the likely starter. He was a part of Knowles’ turnaround at Oklahoma State. Can he do it again?
- Welcome Josh Proctor back: Ohio State will have safeties like Bryson Shaw and Ronnie Hickman. But the most anticipated return will likely be Josh Proctor, who broke his leg against Oregon. Proctor is already someone that newcomers, like Kye Stokes, look up to. Can he match the expectation in his first real season as the starting free safety?
I’ll set the scene.
I was heading to Panera to get some work done — always better with a pumpkin muffin and a hazelnut roast — and this story came across my Twitter feed. I thought, “What the hell,” and started to read.
It’s probably the most beautiful story I have read in a long time just because of its staying power.
The concept of community he talks about at the end of the piece is a goal of mine, to have that “relational insurance” with those around me, it’s vital. We weren’t meant to do life alone, my friends.
Not only did I post it on the board, but I began to send it to those close to me, getting the response of, ‘Yeah, this is what I need too.”
So read this, let it define your week. And then come back here and read all the stuff we have cooking for you here at Scarlet and Gray Report. Trust me, there’s a lot coming.
Song of the week
Starting this week, I’ll have a lot of driving to do, going from Indianapolis and back before I follow Ohio State wherever it plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
So I thought of this question (one I want you guys to answer too): what is the best driving music?
For me, it’s either something I know incredibly well, say Talking Heads, The National, Coldplay, or something that just moves along, keeps me engaged, focused and energized.
As of late, that’s been Dire Straits for me.
If you see me on I-70 West heading toward Indianapolis Thursday afternoon, this very well could be what I’m jamming to.
See you on the board.
