Memories...
 #10 Ohio State 2-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule |
November 16, 2013 1:00 PM ET - Fox —— Bradley Center Milwaukee, Wis. |
 #17 MARQUETTE 2-0, 0-0 Big east Roster | Schedule |
A year ago, these two schools had the well-intentioned idea of playing on a U.S. Navy vessel, in front of veterans and active duty military members.
The wood surface, exposed to a mild November night, off the coast of South Carolina and on a large body of water, turned out to be rather slick. The game was canceled, but the Buckeyes and Golden Eagles will get the chance to renew acquaintances.
This matchup is the first of a home-and-home series between Ohio State and Marquette. First up, the Golden Eagles put their 27-game home winning streak – the nation's longest – on the line against the Buckeyes. Head coach Thad Matta thinks the BMO Harris Bradley Center will rival the atmosphere of Big Ten arenas.
"I think it will be a great environment in there," Matta said, in a press conference, Thursday. "You're going into, what I would consider, a Big Ten type of arena, in terms of the atmosphere and the team that you're playing. You hope that we carry forth like all the big games we've been in before."
Matta's Ohio State squads have played in plenty of marquee matchups. His teams are a combined 45-51 against ranked opponents.
Currently, Notre Dame is the other top-25, non-Big-Ten foe, but Marquette is the only true road test of the non-conference schedule. The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish will square off, Dec. 21, in New York.
| # | Name | YR | HT/WT | PTS | REB | ASST | P | # | Name | YR | HT/WT | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | A. Craft | SR | 6-2/195 | 11.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | G | 12 | D. Wilson | JR | 5-10/167 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 6.5 |
| 3 | S. Scott | JR | 6-1/185 | 12.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 | G | 23 | J. Thomas | SR | 6-3/198 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| 32 | L. Smith Jr. | SR | 6-4/210 | 13.5 | 5.0 | 1.0 | F | 0 | J. Wilson | SR | 6-5/207 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 1.5 |
| 10 | L. Ross | JR | 6-8/220 | 12.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 | F | 25 | S. Taylor Jr. | SO | 6-7/189 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 |
| 23 | A. Williams | JR | 6-11/250 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 0.5 | C | 42 | C. Otule | SR | 6-9/203 | 9.5 | 4.5 | 0.0 |
Opponent breakdown
Head coach Buzz Williams led the Golden Eagles to their first Elite Eight since 2003 and through a dramatic conference realignment. Technically, Marquette is still in the Big East, but only seven schools remain from the previous iteration of the conference.
The team, itself, also takes on a different look. Gone are guards Vander Blue, Junior Cadougan and Trent Lockett. The trio accounted for 43.9-percent of their team's total minutes. Blue led the team in scoring (14.8 points per game) and Cadougan topped the squad in assists (3.8).
Despite their absences, Big East coaches voted the Golden Eagles first in their preseason poll. Plus, Williams makes sure they still maintain an aggressive approach.
"[We stressed] transition defense, rebounding the basketball and taking care of it," Matta said. "They can really pressure, defensively."
Marquette is 2-0 and conquered the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the early part of the season. They squeaked by Southern, 63-56, and beat Grambling State, 114-71. So far, their leading scorer is is 6-foot-8-inch, 290 pound forward Davante Gardner. He comes off the bench but is expected to be a first-team all-conference player.
Gardner averages 17.5 points per game and has shot over 56-percent from the field in his four years in college. Matta expects to see Gardner assert his will in the low-post.
"[They are] obviously a very talented basketball team," Matta said. "In the first two games, they've shown the ability to pound the ball inside to their post guys. They're very physical, both offensively and defensively."
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State opened Tuesday's game on a 9-0 run, and the first half set the tone for the rest of the game, in terms of its slow pace. Still, the Buckeyes entered halftime with a 40-28 lead.
Williams posted a double-double vs OhioThe second half featured a short burst by the Bobcats to get back into the game. Matta didn't like the shot selection, which allowed Ohio to close the gap.
"We took some ill-advised shots throughout the course of that game. Just, kind of, rushed things," Matta said. "We took a look at those shots and, hopefully, we'll be better with it."
The Buckeyes came away with a 79-69 victory, but struggled on the glass. The Buckeyes allowed 11 offensive rebounds, a troubling sign entering a game against a physical Marquette team.
Amir Williams had a strong performance against the Bobcats, pouring in 14 points and grabbing 10 boards. The Scarlet and Gray hope Williams' length can stymie Gardner's abilities in the post.
Ohio State's main offensive threat is LaQuinton Ross, but he's currently tied with Shannon Scott for third on the team in scoring. Matta wants Ross to do a better job of working within the flow of the offense.
"LaQuinton has to continue to learn what we're doing and use it to his advantage. We're trying to get him to understand every, single possession is vitally important."
Overall, the Buckeyes balanced scoring attack has produced five players who are averaging over 10 points per game. Going up against Marquette's aggressive defense, they also need to play a more efficient game. Against Morgan State, OSU turned the ball over 16 times, while only recording 9 assists in the Ohio game.
Etc
- Ohio State leads Marquette 5-4 in the all-time series.
- The teams have not met since Nov. 30, 1994, in Columbus, an 82-70 win for the Golden Eagles.
- Craft needs eight steals to pass Purdue’s Brian Cardinal (259) for sixth all-time in the Big Ten.
- The NBA forced the Milwaukee Bucks to resurface their BMO Harris Bradley Center home floor due to its slippery conditions.
