Ohio State's 64-63 win over No. 3 Purdue on Wednesday night put the Buckeyes in the driver's seat for the Big Ten title, a sentence I honestly never thought I would write about the 2017-18 version of the OSU men's basketball squad.
Yet, here we are. Andre Wesson and Musa Jallow turned into Larry Bird behind the arc for one unbelievable performance that left the capacity crowd at Mackey Arena stunned, as their Boilermakers had a 19-game winning streak snapped. Keita Bates-Diop's put-back with less than three seconds to play could go down as the play of the year for Ohio State if the Buckeyes end up winning the conference crown.
However, while the win was crucial for Ohio State, the Buckeyes still have five conference games yet to play, three of which come on the road. There is still a lot of basketball left to be played, so we decided to take your questions ahead of the homestretch of the season.
Will Andre Wesson and Musa Jallow be able to bottle up those performances from (Wednesday) night and be bigger offensive contributors for the rest of the year? If so, do you think that makes us a legitimate Final Four contender? - ITWASME
What Andre Wesson and Musa Jallow did Wednesday night in West Lafayette probably won't be replicated for the rest of the season. They shot lights out from the perimeter, but more importantly, they remained consistent on defense, which is why they are on the floor. The good news for Ohio State is, that game gave them confidence on offense, something neither of them seemed to have prior to the Purdue game.
While they might not combine for 20-plus points again this season, if they can hit timely shots when the Buckeyes need them to, then there is a chance this team can make a deep tournament run.
What approach do you think the coaching staff took to get that many contributions from the bench? That has not really happened the entire season and was night and day from a production stand point. - Icouldnotgofor3
Holtmann spoke after the game about how he had a pregame chat with Jallow about his confidence shooting the basketball, and I think that paid off. As a coach, you try not to get into your player's head too much, but I think Holtmann is pushing all of the right buttons at this time of year, which is crucial. Everyone has accepted their role and that is what makes this team so special. They might not always have their 'A' game, but they are going to bring it from an energy standpoint from top to bottom.
How big of an impact to you think this win will have on 2019 recruiting? - Cpewster
One single game isn't going to have much of an impact at all, but the collective season Ohio State is having will certainly play a role in the decisions of a few recruits come commitment time. I think the success Ohio State is having this year has been huge in the recruitment of Alonzo Gaffney, who would be a home-run signing for the Buckeyes.
Is Coach Holtmann a lock for Coach of the Year? - Daniel
In the Big Ten, absolutely. For the national award, I think Holtmann has some competition with Bruce Pearl at Auburn and a few other candidates. However, if Ohio State wins the Big Ten regular season title outright, it would be hard to give the award to anyone else.
What is this team's ceiling? - Buckeyeman
Before the Purdue game, I made a comment to a colleague that I thought Ohio State's ceiling was the Sweet 16, and that an accomplishment like that would make this season an incredible victory and step forward in the direction of the program.
Now, I think the ceiling could be a Final Four appearance if the Buckeyes get a favorable draw, but I think more realistic is an Elite Eight shot. That said, this is also a team that could easily get bounced in the second round. Nothing would surprise me at this point, which is funny to think about considering the way this season has gone.
Do you think the Bucks hold on to win the Big Ten regular season title? - JakeStevensIsSwag
If Purdue loses to Michigan State on Saturday, I think Ohio State has a great chance to win the conference crown. However, if the Boilermakers steal one in East Lansing, Mich., against the Spartans, I think ultimately Purdue will still take the title. The Buckeyes still have to play on the road at Michigan and Indiana, neither of which will be easy games to win. A road contest against Penn State isn't a guaranteed win either, so a regular season championship is still very much up in the air.
Will Andre Wesson remain in the starting lineup upon Kam Williams' return? - Analyticalguy
I think at this point, it will all depend on matchups. If the Buckeyes play a team with a lot of length moving forward, I think Andre Wesson could stay in the starting lineup because of his ability to defend multiple positions. If he proves he can consistently hit shots and score the ball, however, I could see it being a permanent move.
KBD is unquestionably the Buckeyes' most indispensible player, but who's #2 and why? - Iowabuckeyes
Jae'Sean Tate and it's not even close. His ability to play with energy, tenacity and also play point guard if needed is crucial to this team. If Tate were to go down, Ohio State goes from a dark-horse Final Four team to a team that would get bounced in the second round. Without him in the lineup, the Buckeyes are nowhere near where they are right now.
A month ago, I might have said C.J. Jackson, but he has struggled offensively recently and Tate has done a serviceable job playing the point guard position on offense. Tate's versatility is what makes him so valuable.
Is there any chance Bates-Diop will stay for next year? - Don
I would say the chances of Bates-Diop coming back are less than five percent. The season he has had has put him into the late first round of the NBA Draft, and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament could even push him into the middle picks of the first round. He has his degree and all of his classmates will be gone after this year. Outside of playing for a championship, there isn't much more for him to accomplish at Ohio State.
Is the small lineup we deployed against Purdue going to be a reliable lineup for when our bigs are in foul trouble? Does it become a lineup we use even when our bigs are not in foul trouble? - BuckeyeBen7.7
Ohio State has done this before against smaller teams with Bates-Diop at the 'five' and have had success doing it. Andre Wesson's effort against Isaac Haas in the final moments of Wednesday night's game isn't talked about enough, as he earned himself some big minutes as the season winds down. I don't think the small lineup will be something Ohio State uses exclusively moving forward, strictly because of how good Kaleb Wesson has been this season.
Should the Buckeyes meet up with Purdue again in the postseason, however, I could see Ohio State using that strategy in order to try and create more offense. It's a good lineup to have in your back pocket, but not one they will use too much because Kaleb Wesson is too consistent to take off the floor (when he isn't taking on seven-footers, that is).
What are teams doing to take away Bates-Diop? - Perfect Sleeper24
The teams that have played him more physical have had the most success. Bates-Diop is an average ball-handler at best and when you play him physical, within the rules of the game, he struggles to get into a rhythm with the ball in his hands. Indiana had good success against him as did Northwestern, playing him with their most physical defender.
Other ways to slow Bates-Diop down have been to double him when he catches the ball on the block and force him to either dribble out of it or make a tough pass. Playing him man-up on the block usually means a clean shot for the Buckeye star.
