Ohio State fell to Wisconsin on Thursday, 79-68, as the Buckeyes again failed to execute down the stretch in what was a three-point game at the under-4 media timeout. Ohio State did not close the game well.
But the Buckeyes also failed to start the game with any sort of purpose, falling behind 11-0 before Thad Matta called timeout to make a trio of substitutions hoping to ignite his team.
It worked, for the most part, as Ohio State chipped away at that lead for the rest of the game and played the Badgers close the rest of the way before being outscored 13-5 over the final four minutes of the game.
Right now, the Buckeyes aren't starting well or finishing well and that is, obviously, a problem.
Matta shook up Ohio State's starting lineup prior to the game against Penn State, inserting A.J. Harris in place of JaQuan Lyle at point guard and Daniel Giddens for Trevor Thompson at center. The Buckeyes won their first two games, but have now lost back-to-back contests against Maryland and Wisconsin.
And after Ohio State's bench outscored its starters 46 to 22 on Thursday night, it may be time for Matta to make another change. He has already show willingness to switch things up this season — more than year's past — so don't be surprised if this happens again.
With that said, should Matta make changes it likely won't be similar to the ones I would personally make. Here is what I believe should be Ohio State's starting five going forward, not what I think Matta will do:
- G: A.J. Harris
- G: JaQuan Lyle
- F: Keita Bates-Diop
- F: Jae'Sean Tate
- C: Trevor Thompson
There are two reasons why I think Matta won't do this. The first is that he has, for whatever reason, been hesitant to play both of his freshman guards at the same time. We have seen Lyle and Harris on the floor together a few times this season, but it has been a rarity.
I think they would work well together, and Lyle is much more comfortable when he's playing as a scoring guard. He is the only player on Ohio State's roster who can consistently beat anybody off the dribble in the halfcourt offense and he is at his best when he's attacking the basket like he did Thursday night against Wisconsin when he poured in a game-high 27 points.
The second reason why Matta likely won't go with the group listed above is the curious case of Marc Loving. Matta has shown a willingness to bench just about any other player in crunch time this season with the exception of Loving. I get that, somewhat, because my sense is if Matta benches Loving, there's a pretty good shot you lose him altogether and he checks out. How he would handle coming off the bench is a really big unknown. Maybe Matta learned a bit last season when Loving was benched after returning from his suspension and was pretty much a non-factor over the second half of Ohio State's season.
As for the rest of the group, I contemplated putting Kam Williams into the starting five at a guard position simply because I think he has earned the right to start based on his performance this season; Williams has been one of Ohio State's most consistent players. But I like him in his current role: a scorer off the bench. You know what you're getting with Williams when you bring him into the game; he is a guy who can fill it up in a hurry and I think Matta feels the same way.
Thompson over Giddens is really a coin flip for me as both have been inconsistent at times this season. I like bringing Giddens' energy off the bench, though, as it has a tendency to change games sometimes. Thompson is far more advanced on the offensive end, though, so I think having him on the floor to start games gives the Buckeyes another option to put the ball in the basket.
Truth be told, a team's starting five isn't really all that important. It matters, sure, but it's much more crucial who is on the floor come crunch time and who is logging the majority of the minutes. But there is part of the problem this season for Ohio State, the end-of-game lineup is so fluid and it has been based on performance throughout the game.
There have been plenty of points this year where every player listed above in my starting five has not played well enough to finish a game and that's what Matta has been saying all season; he never knows what he is going to get each time his team takes the floor. The inconsistencies are killing the Buckeyes.
Whether or not Matta makes another lineup switch remains to be seen, but I'm one who thinks there's the possibility of another shake-up coming.
We'll have to wait and find out Tuesday.
