I know, I said that I would do a B1G preview first, but we all need something to look forward to after what happened last night. So, here we go.
First up, is there going to be a season? No one knows. The Patriot League is optimistic, having dropped their spring schedule on Friday, though many are in New York which is currently a dumpster fire for scholastic athletics.
Syracuse is delaying the semester until February 8, the Ivy League has always been the quickest D1 conference to cancel sports in the Covid era, and the Maryland schools could go either way. Let's assume, for the sake of posting, there IS a season. Who will OSU play?
The answer to that is the entire Big Ten. Each school will play the others twice, home and away, with potential non-conference opponents a possibility, but unlikely. Testing and treatment protocols are going to be ball over the map for each conference, meaning it's unlikely a deal can be reached on short notice.
That probably eliminates the annual Notre Dame and Denver series, though the Pios haven't been played since 2018 due to weather and the 'Rona. So most likely a shortened 10-game, all conference opponent schedule for Ohio State in 2021. The Big Ten Network has to be giddy about this, since they're going to get a nationally-ranked game every broadcast.
Over 10 games, Ohio State has a good shot at doing some real damage with their roster this year. Let's see who will be suiting up this year at each position.
Attack
Much like last year, this is the least changed unit on the team. Tre Leclaire returned for a 5th year, bringing his howitzer shot back to Columbus for one final ride. Jack Myers will be a junior behind the cage, and Jackson Reid will be a true senior over on the left side. This was the strength of the team last year, and will certainly be again this year.
Obviously, Tre Leclaire is a huge threat and will be looking to crush the all-time goals record for the Buckeyes. He entered the 2020 season 38 goals behind Logan Schuss for the all-time record, and Leclaire poured in 26 tallies in 7 games. Sitting at 135 goals, Leclaire would need a miracle to hit 200, but will almost certainly be the first player with 150, 160, and 170 goals in Ohio State history.
Jackson Reid will be looking for a bit more consistency in 2021, after being a bit of a streaky point-scorer in 2020. He had a two-game stretch early which saw him tally just three total points, but was pretty solid the rest of the way. Reid had two games with seven points, which is outstanding. Hopefully he can take that next step.
Jack Myers remains an enigma to me. He is capable of incredible offensive performances, as he had the highest point output of the season with 4 goals and 5 assists against Detroit Mercy in 2020. But some games he just disappears. I think Myers would be better deployed on the right, because he's not quite shifty enough to be a superb dodger from X, but obviously that won't happen with Leclaire on that side.
Myers is the best passing offensive player on the team, but would benefit, in my opinion, from having more of the field to work with. We will see what the staff does in 2021.
The remaining attackmen on the roster are either unknowns, or are brand new. None of the returning attackmen have played significant minutes in two years. The new players are intriguing, but obviously unproven. Mitchell Sandberg is a tall lefty who could challenge Myers for the passing crown. Gerard Kane is a top 100 lefty who is tricky and dodges like a bull in a china shop. The staff has made an effort to recruit box-style lefty players, and these are names to watch post-2020.
Starters on February 13:
Leclaire-Myers-Reid
Offensive midfielders
This group is one that will make or break the season. Coach Myers whiffed on a couple of the transfer targets that popped up in the portal, but said publicly the staff really likes the group they have. I am not as bullish on them. The middies have been a problem since 2017, as no more than one player has been a difference-maker in this 6- to 9-man rotation since that run.
Jack Jasinski was the big name in 2018 and 2019, but there was little else there. In 2020, Griffin Hughes made a big splash as a scoring threat, especially inside. Grant Mitchell started off really strong, but struggled a bit as the year went on (no points in his final 3 games). The reasons for that are two-fold. First, Connor Mitchell broke his arm on a shot in game 4 and was out the rest of the year.
That was a huge loss, because the Mitchell twins complement each other very well. Connor is, in my mind, the better goalscorer because of his left-handedness and positioning. Grant is the better dodger, especially downhill. The other issue was Grant wasn't given the ball much after Connor went down. Johnny Wiseman was tapped as the main dodger for all of 2020, with mixed results.
Ohio State's biggest struggle, in my opinion, was its dodging locations last year. Middies (Wiseman and Mitchell) dodged from the top of box down almost exclusively, but out wide. Wiseman made himself a top 100 guy from X.
It would behoove Ohio State to get him the ball at X more in 2021, and use Grant as a complementary dodger from the restraining line. Generally, when the ball is directly behind the net, teams will zone up and either play sides (the double-team comes from the adjacent player on whichever side the ballcarrier goes) or they will do a pinched box and 1, where the 1 is the slide from the very top of the crease while the box zones for the remaining 5 players.
With Tre Leclaire on the right, Jackson Reid on the left down low, that's a deadly combo defenses have to account for.
If you don't slide, Wiseman can feast all day on a shortstick. If you do slide, Leclaire and Reid will feast. Get Myers, Connor Mitchell, and Griffin Huges out there, it's a BIG problem for the rest of the Big Ten. I don't know how Rick Lewis will set up the offense this year, but it seems like a good option to explore.
Scheme tangent aside, the depth on midfield line two is pretty non-existent. Unlike the attackmen, there is always need for a second set of "starters", and who that will be is a complete mystery.
True freshman Logan Santos was a big player for St. Paul's of the MIAA in Maryland, a shifty dodger who loves to score in close. Trent DiCicco is a Canadian, left-handed box player who will likely compete for time on line two. Colby Smith would be my only locked in player for the second line, as he is a senior and will be counted on to make sure the young players develop nicely.
The other returners are a mixed bag of cameo minutes. And, for some reason I still can't fathom, the player I thought would be a sneaky option, Drew Scott, was moved from offensive middie to defense. That's a stunning move. I don't even know how to speculate on it.
Bottom line, the staff needs to find a second-string group that is not a cliff-drop down from the starting three. There have been a lot of misses in this group the last few cycles, hopefully some guys will emerge.
Starters and second line on February 13:
1st: Wiseman-G. Mitchell-C. Mitchell/Hughes
2nd: C. Mitchell/Hughes-C. Smith, DiCicco
Defensive midfielders (SSDM/LSM)
This group is pretty much set as well. Probably the oldest group on the roster, there are six guys who I am sure will be used interchangeably over the course of the year. At LSM, 5th-year Jeff Henrick will start, with Steven Zupicich spelling him. The short stick defenders are going to be easy as well.
Ryan Terefenko is a beast, was named preseason Midfielder of the Year, and will be a force all over the field. He could start anywhere, and has to have the PLL salivating. He will be paired with Omari DeBerry, most likely, with Evan Riss moving over from close D to help out and Colby Barker playing some as well. Everyone of these players except Zupicich is a senior, so hopefully they will do well to shore up a surprisingly leaky defense. Not much else to say here.
Starters on February 13:
Henrick-Terefenko-DeBerry
Close Defense
Following the departure of Ben Randall after 2018, this group has not found its footing as a unit. There are a tremendous number of combinations the staff has used to try and stop opponents, with few really working. Last year, there was a steady rotation of players at the third defensive spot, as Jeff Henrick was moved to LSM to stem the bleeding there. This year, Joey Salisbury chose not to remain for a 6th year, putting two spots up for grabs. And that's where it gets interesting.
Despite some decent recruiting success at this position, there has been a lot of instability amongst the poles. There are some serious players in the 2021 and 2022 classes coming in, but they won't help for the 2021 season. Right now, it looks like only Jacob Snyder is on pace to keep his starting spot. After that, it's a whole lot of unknowns.
There are probably 3 to 4 players who could fill out the rotation on defense. At least one starter for game one will be a transfer, that is certain. Ohio State brought in two players from other programs to compete for jobs.
Eric Wenz is a grad transfer doing his 5th year at Ohio State after coming over from Hofstra. Wenz is a big body, is pretty sound fundamentally, but is not necessarily a big hitter. Jack DeSantis returns to Ohio from the University of Maryland, where he saw almost no action. Ty Xanders over at Inside Lacrosse seemed to think he was in for big things this year for the Terps, but there's no way to know. These two would most likely be your leaders in the clubhouse for a starting spot.
The Buckeyes also have a couple of returning players and freshmen on the books who might push to make an early mark if one the Wenz-DeSantis pair doesn't pay off. Ben Williams started three games last year as he bounced between LSM and close defense. Williams could certainly show enough to be tapped for another shot.
Drew Scott, a freshman I mentioned in the offensive previews, was moved to defense after starring as an offensive middie for his high school program. Scott is a former high school wide receiver in Texas, so he has plenty of athletic ability. The question on him is how he picks up playing a new role.
Henry Watson is another Texan defender who could push for some playing time if the starting unit doesn't gel immediately. If the Buckeyes want to be title contenders, they're going to need to get the defense squared away immediately.
Starters on February 13:
Snyder-DeSantis-Wenz
Faceoff:
Justin Inacio will be the starter barring some injury or insane setback. The new rules will throw everyone for a loop, but the starter was never in doubt. It will be the Inacio show the entire year.
Starter on February 13:
Inacio
Goalie:
At goaltender, Ohio State loses Josh Kirson in a transfer to Johns Hopkins. Kirson was very up and down his first few years in Columbus, but seemed to have really turned a corner in 2020. Of course, as soon as that happened, he jetted off to Maryland. One way or another, the Buckeyes will have a new netminder on February 13. As of now, Ohio State will almost certainly plug in the grad transfer Alec van de Bovenkamp at goalie.
Skylar Wahlund did enough to push a top 100 goalie out the door, but never developed the consistency to take over the number one slot from Kirson while he was here. Van de Bovenkamp was a solid player at Furman with a bad defense, so he will look to take the next step in Columbus. I will be interested to see what happens on 2021, but that is for another preview.
Starter on February 13:
Alec van de Bovenkamp
Having gone through the potential schedule, and this year's squad, we come to the prognostication part of the post. There's a lot to analyze and pick apart.
In order to make the postseason, figure Ohio State has to win 6 of its 10 games against the remaining teams in the conference. Ohio State would need to sweep the teams it is certainly better than (on paper) in Rutgers and TTUN, as well as pick off two wins from one of the Hopkins, Penn State, Maryland trifecta. That's certainly doable, especially since three games will take place in Columbus.
And who knows, perhaps a miracle could happen away. Hopkins remains down, and Penn State lost its best-ever player to the pros after holding onto him for 6 years. If the Buckeyes lose a game to Rutgers (possible) or TTUN, then the road to the Big Ten tournament gets a lot harder.
In the end, I think Ohio State can take a run at the conference and national tournaments. I don't believe they have the personnel to overcome what's happened in College Park. Maryland just rented some All-American level talent at middie, and has a top 5 player back at attack. Penn State needs to figure out how to exist in a post-Ament world, and Hopkins still needs to get back to being a national power.
Final guesses: Ohio State finishes 6-4, makes the tournament, wins a game against Hopkins or Penn State, but loses in the title game against Maryland. Nationally, I think the Buckeyes make a quarterfinal exit after running into Duke or Syracuse.
Final record: 8-6, 7th ever national tournament appearance, 5th ever quarterfinal appearance.
Go Bucks! Season is here!
