Chris Holtmann has certainly noticed the trend that has become increasingly difficult not to see.
“The reality is there's not been a Big Ten win on the road this year,” Holtmann said on Friday afternoon. “It's 10-0 at home.”
Since he said that, two more Big Ten teams lost in-conference games on the road, meaning that home Big Ten teams have won all 12 games they’ve played against conference opponents this season.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota (4-5) | Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | 6:30 p.m. | BTN |
Ohio State (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will attempt to reverse the trend when it faces Minnesota in Minneapolis on Sunday. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. at Williams Arena.
“I saw that,” Kyle Young said. “But we just know we need to be ourselves and prepare the same way we have. Really not trying to look too much into that and just focus on the game like we would any other way.”
Sunday’s tilt with the Golden Gophers will kick off a stretch that features three games in six days. Ohio State will return home to face Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday night before hitting the road to take on No. 8 Kentucky on Saturday in Las Vegas as part of the CBS Sports Classic.
Due to the upcoming heavy week of games, Ohio State practiced on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday was initially planned as an off day, but because Holtmann thought his team’s conditioning in the first two practices of the week was “poor,” they had skill workouts with their position coaches that day.
“We've been working. We're here to get better,” Young said. “December's a time where a lot of teams can become complacent is what the coaches were saying. It's easy for teams to become relaxed and not really focus on getting better. We're kind of taking the opposite approach to where we need to get better here in December, January and keep improving.”
Opponent Preview
Minnesota’s 4-5 record won’t intimidate Ohio State. Its losses, though, have all come to worthy opponents, and most have come away from Williams Arena.
The Golden Gophers have dropped games to Oklahoma in Sioux Falls, Butler in Indianapolis, Utah in Salt Lake City, Iowa in Iowa City and DePaul at home. They’ve beat Clemson, North Dakota, Central Michigan and Cleveland State, with all four victories coming at home. Per KenPom, they currently rank 12th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten.
“Minnesota, they've played a really challenging schedule and they've played a lot of games away from home,” Holtmann said. “Everyone that's been to their venue knows it's a pretty special place to play, great environment.”
Daniel Oturu, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center, will pose a significant challenge to Kaleb Wesson inside.
After averaging 10.8 points, seven rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman, Oturu has broken out this season, averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 30.7 minutes per game. Powerful around the rim, he has hit 65 percent of his shots. Oturu has turned the ball over a team-high 3.7 times per game, though.
Marcus Carr, a transfer guard from Pittsburgh, averages 13 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. Shooting 35.3 percent from the field, 28.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and 55 percent from the free-throw line, he hasn’t found any efficiency as a scorer yet this year. Junior guard Payton Willis averages 11.6 points per game, and sophomore guard Gabe Kalscheur puts up 10.8 points per game.
“Obviously Daniel, their sophomore big, has been outstanding,” Holtmann said. “He's had an outstanding start. But they've got a transfer, Carr, that's really playing well for them, shooting on the perimeter and a physical presence to them that Richard Pitinio's teams typically have. A physical presence and a physical toughness to them. That's typically what you see with his guys. You can tell they're coached to play that way. I've got great appreciation and respect for that. It's going to be a great challenge. Tough-minded-well coached team, and we need to be ready to go on Sunday night.”
Ohio State Preview
Through nine games, the Buckeyes have been relatively healthy. Only Andre Wesson has missed time, sitting out two games with an eye injury. They’ll be missing one of their key players on Sunday, though, with Duane Washington Jr. sitting out with a rib injury. He’s considered day to day.
Without Washington in the lineup, Ohio State will lose a breakout scorer who has averaged 11.4 points per game and shot 53.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. DJ Carton and CJ Walker will likely see an uptick in minutes, and Andre Wesson is expected to step into the starting five. Justin Ahrens could enter the rotation, too.
With such a balanced scoring attack through nine games, there are plenty of candidates to take a larger scoring role. Eight players average between seven and 14 points per game.
Kaleb Wesson, in particular, has a chance to make a significant impact on both sides of the court. On defense, he’s facing a tough matchup against Oturu. And on the other end of the court, he’ll be one of the players tasked with making up for the absence of Washington’s points.
In the most recent game, a 106-74 win against Penn State, he had 28 points and 10 rebounds hitting a career-high four triples. That was arguably his best game of the season. However, he also has impacted other games this season with fewer counting stats.
“I think that is as much of a sign of a really good player as anything,” Holtmann said. “When you watch a really good player, that's what people see. ‘Man, he was able to impact the game and these are his numbers? And he was able to impact the game and these are his numbers?’ The obvious ones are the Penn State numbers, right? But I've also had people say that's the best they've seen Kaleb play, people who know the game, when he had 14 (points) and 11 (rebounds). I just think that's the sign of a really good player.”
Other Notes
- The Buckeyes are seven-point favorites, per Vegas Insider.
- Though Ohio State’s players and most of the coaches left for Minnesota earlier in the day on Saturday, Holtmann and assistant coach Ryan Pedon hung back in Columbus to watch St. Vincent-St. Mary face Sierra Canyon at Nationwide Arena in the Ohio Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic. Malaki Branham, a four-star combo guard for the Irish, is the top 2021 target of Ohio State. Sierra Canyon features a bevy of highly rated prospects, including LeBron James Jr. and Zaire Wade.
- After watching Branham, Holtmann and Pedon caught a flight to Minnesota late on Saturday night that arrived early Sunday morning.
- Holtmann on the youth of assistant coach Jake Diebler: “You can tell that he's got a different style and fashion sense than me, which it's not saying much, that's for sure. But the shoe game, the gear game, all of the stuff, he can rattle all that off, and I don't know what he's talking about.”
How It Plays Out
One way or another, this game will buck a trend. Either Ohio State will end its winning ways or a Big Ten team will win on the road.
Based on the way the Buckeyes have played to begin this season, they’ve made it nearly impossible to pick against them, despite having not played a road conference game yet. Even with the loss of Washington, we’re predicting a 10th win for Ohio State. Washington’s loss won’t affect a defense that has been arguably the best in the country, and the balance of scoring should be enough to somewhat make up for what he offers on the other end of the court.
Prediction: Ohio State 69, Minnesota 58
