Even the most ardent Thad Matta defenders are on thy heels after Ohio State fell to 0-3 in B1G play and 10-6 overall following last Sunday's 10 point poss to Minnesota.
The reality is things could get worse before they get better as the Buckeyes get set to tangle with KenPom's 11th-ranked squad, Wisconsin, on the road tonight at 7:00 p.m.
If Matta's squad isn't able to pull the upset their most notable win to date would be a 72-67 victory over KenPom's 74th-ranked team, Providence, back on November 17.
So what exactly do the Buckeyes need to fix if they have designs on making things interesting in league play?
Unfortunately that question has too many answers to address in this writing but one thing they could use is an even greater impact from center Trevor Thompson, who has already been arguably one of the top-two players for the Buckeyes through the first 16 games.
Though it made sense from a formality standpoint, many had fun at the expense of Thompson when he declared for the NBA Draft after posting numbers of 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game before ultimately opting to come back to Columbus as a redshirt junior.
This year however Thompson has stepped up his game averaging 10.7 points while leading the team in rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
In fact, his 9.1 boards are good for 2nd in the B1G while his 1.9 blocks and 61.2% shooting percentage both rank 4th in the league.
Thompson's improved scoring moves in the post and ability to rebound produced five double-doubles in the team's first 16 games after he logged just three double-doubles last year in 35 games.
| OPPONENT (KP RANK) | FG/FGA | FT/FTA | PTS | REB | FOULS | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (281) | 4/8 | 2/3 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 26 |
| CONNECTICUT (101) | 4/8 | 9/10 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 30 |
| YOUNGSTOWN STATE (283) | 5/9 | 1/3 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 21 |
| UNC-ASHEVILLE (116) | 5/8 | 4/5 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 26 |
| MINNESOTA (32) | 4/7 | 7/10 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 28 |
Thompson's increased rebounding stands as the biggest surprise as he's nearly doubled his output despite averaging just 3.7 more minutes per game.
What stands as out as problematic however is how Thompson has owned the glass against lesser competition but hasn't been able to achieve similar success against better opponents.
As shown in the chart above, Thompson's five double-doubles have come largely against bad teams ranking anywhere from 101 to 283 on KenPom with the lone exception being his sturdy 15 point, 15 board performance last Sunday against the 32nd-ranked Golden Gophers.
| OPP | KP RANK | FG/FGA | FT/FTA | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | TO | FouLS | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UVA | 4 | 2/2 | 3/4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 23 |
| UCLA | 13 | 2/3 | 0/0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 23 |
| PURDUE | 12 | 3/7 | 5/6 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 25 |
| MINNESOTA | 32 | 4/7 | 7/10 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 28 |
| 4 GAME | AVG | 58% | 75% | 9.3 | 8.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 24.8 |
| SEASON | AVG | 61% | 76% | 10.7 | 9.1 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 21.6 |
Against the four teams currently ranked inside the KenPom top 40 that the Buckeyes have taken on to date, Thompson failed to reach double figures in points twice and in rebounds three times.
He's also realized a slight dip in his shooting percentage while seeing his turnovers sharply increase.
Arguably the biggest issue with his performance against better teams is foul trouble. Thompson fouled out against Virginia and Purdue and picked up his 3rd and 4th fouls against Minnesota within a 22 second span midway through the 2nd half and OSU trailing 56-49.
To his credit, Thompson recorded five more boards over the final nine minutes but had just three points while being mindful that one more foul would end his night.
Many wouldn't have predicted it coming into the season but Thompson has been Ohio State's 2nd-most consistent scorer reaching double figures in 11 of 16 games trailing only Jae'Sean Tate who has gone for 10+ points in 14 of 16 outings.
For further comparison, JaQuan Lyle has reached double figures in 10 of 16 games while Marc Loving has done it 10 times and Kam Williams eight.
On the glass, Tate has reached 10+ board three times and Loving has done it twice compared to Thompson's five.
As such, for Ohio State to have any chance at pulling the upset in Madison, let alone sustain a run long enough to turn the season around, Thompson must come up even bigger on the scoreboard and in the paint while staying out of foul trouble.
