by The Ohio State men’s basketball team lost to Michigan in a tight contest, 73-65. The Buckeyes drop to 12-5 on the season and 2-4 in Big-10 play. The loss comes as Ohio State’s third in a row and in all three they have relinquished a second half lead.
In the loss, Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 19 points, with Roddy Gayle Jr. scoring 12 and Felix Okpara chipping in 10 to go along with nine rebounds. Michigan was led by a balanced scoring effort of 20 from Olivier Nkamhoua, 18 from Terrance Williams II, and 15 from Dug McDaniel. Nimari Burnett put in seven points and 10 rebounds as well.
Michigan led for most of the game and with 11 minutes to go they took a 12 point lead on a three-pointer from Williams II, their largest lead of the game. However, the Buckeyes showed resiliency and went on an immediate 16-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 59-55 lead. From there, Ohio State struggled to contain McDaniel, whose first-step quickness and finishing ability have been a bright spot in an otherwise down year for Michigan. Many times over the final eight minutes of the contest, McDaniel would use his speed to get into the lane and find shooters on the wing such as Williams II, Nkamhoua, and Burnett who all made big baskets late to seal the deal.
Ohio State’s offense also came to a grinding halt after their big run, as the shooting struggles of the Buckeyes big three of Thornton, Gayle Jr., and Jamison Battle finally caught up to them. Combined, the three of them shot 13-37 from the field and 3-18 from three to combine for 36 points, much lower than their combined season average of 46. The effectiveness, both offensively and defensively of Buckeye big men Felix Okpara and Zed Key, also shrunk as the game got into its later sequences. Key struggled mightily in his 15 minutes of action, but Okpara played very well for most of the game as he was not only able to block four shots but also convert on multiple post-ups around the basket. However, when the stakes were raised, Okpara’s notable offensive struggles were highlighted, as he was unable to make himself available as an outlet or spacer down low. Defensively, he also caused a goaltend on a key McDaniel drive that could have changed the contest.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann also was unable to counter any of Michigan’s baskets and questions can be raised about his offensive play-call and substitution scheme. Michigan big men Tarris Reed Jr. and Will Tschetter became increasingly comfortable with their pick and roll coverage late in the game and the Buckeyes did nothing to adjust. Reed Jr. and Tschetter were able to effectively take the dives to the basket from Okpara, Key, and Evan Mahaffey out of the game after it had been hurting them previously. When that happened, Thornton, Gayle Jr., and other Buckeye guards just had to dribble aimlessly as there was no fluidity or spacing to the offense.
For the substitutions, many are calling for more playing time for freshman forward Devin Royal after he finished with seven points and three rebounds in seven minutes. He was able to provide a more mobile option at the power forward position than Key and when Battle struggles to shoot it from the field, Royal becomes a much more intriguing option as the season keeps rolling. Two other freshmen, Scotty Middleton and Taison Chatman also played minutes in the second half. Middleton, who has been a bright spot shooting the ball wasn’t efficient in his nine minutes of action and Chatman, a highly touted prospect, appeared only in his sixth game for two minutes in a season that has been derailed with injuries. Holtmann may turn to him more as a creator if the offense continues to falter.
Looking ahead, the Buckeyes will look to get back on track on Jan. 20 at home against Penn State, who they lost to earlier this season. They will then head on the road to face stingy Nebraska and Northwestern teams who are both having nice starts to the season. It is imperative that Ohio State takes care of business against unranked opponents if they want a chance to make the NCAA Tournament as #14 Illinois, #11 Wisconsin, and #2 Purdue still looms on their schedule. They will have one more game against Michigan this season, at home on Mar. 3, as they will try to get the bad taste of losses in both basketball and football out of their mouth.
