Ohio State has three losses in its last four games, but the Buckeyes do not have time to sit around and sulk.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State (11-9, 2-5) | Value City Arena | 7 p.m. | BTN |
"It just keeps coming," head coach Thad Matta said Saturday.
Up next is Penn State. Ohio State welcomes the Nittany Lions to Value City Arena on Monday at 7 p.m. The Buckeyes are desperately in need of a win and are eager to return home after a brutal four-out-of-five game stretch on the road.
The Big Ten season is approaching its halfway point and the Buckeyes are running out of time if they want to make a run. Ohio State plays three games this week and things all start with Monday's matchup with Penn State.
"I’ve never had a team this young," Matta said. "But as I told them, you’re no longer a junior, a sophomore or a freshman. You’re Big Ten basketball players now and we’ve got to face the music and continue to play.”
Opponent Breakdown
It's been another long season in Happy Valley as Penn State has limped to an 11-9 overall record with a 2-5 mark in Big Ten play. Pat Chambers' group did record a road win over Northwestern a few weeks back, but other than that it has been a struggle.
The Nittany Lions have a pair of high-volume scorers in senior guard Brandon Taylor and sophomore guard Shep Garner. Taylor averages a team-high 16.2 points per game, while Garner is Penn State's second-leading scorer at 14.1 points per game. Payton Banks, a sophomore forward, also averages double figures at 10.1 points per game.
"We’re still answering some questions about matchups and how we want to play," Matta said Saturday, "but they’re that team that if they get rolling, watch out because they can take and make some difficult shots.”
Through seven Big Ten games, the Nittany Lions are averaging just 65.6 points per game — 11th in the conference — while allowing 74.3 points per game, which is 10th in the league.
Penn State is KenPom's 135th-ranked team; Minnesota and Rutgers are the only Big Ten teams rated worse. The Nittany Lions are 165th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 117th in defensive efficiency.
Buckeye Breakdown
Things haven't been pretty for Ohio State over the last two weeks, but the Buckeyes showed signs of life in their latest loss to Purdue.
“Never been one for moral victories, but considering how the last two road games had gone and you look at it ... to see us play better was a good thing,” Matta said.
One thing Ohio State has been getting, though, even in its losses, is consistent bench play. Kam Williams is leading that charge as the Buckeyes' redshirt sophomore is averaging 11.4 points per game in Big Ten play. Williams is shooting a ridiculous 58.6 percent (17 for 29) from behind the 3-point line in the conference and is responsible for nearly half of Ohio State's made 3-pointers in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes need the starters to join the bench, though, specifically Keita Bates-Diop and Marc Loving, who have struggled since the calendar turned to January.
"We know when we compete and we’re ready to play and we have that mindset we can compete with anybody," Williams said. "We know if we stay the course and keep chomping every day in practice we’ll get better and better.”
How It Plays Out
Ohio State is certainly happy to return home after playing four out of five on the road — all four of those games coming in extremely difficult venues to get a win. The Buckeyes went just 1-3 in that stretch, but playing Penn State at home should be the perfect palate cleanser.
Ohio State has struggled in the first half a bit of late, so if this one is close at halftime that wouldn't be a huge shock. Expect the Buckeyes to open things up a bit in the second half, though, and win comfortably over a team they're better than.
Tim's prediction: Ohio State 76, Penn State 65
