Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann had every intention of coming out of the gates with a trio of high-major opponents in the Battle 4 Atlantis, starting with Memphis.
That, of course, didn't come to fruition, and instead the Buckeyes opened with three games in a row against low-majors at home. KenPom, the de-facto college hoops Bible, ranks Ohio State's first three opponents as 222nd, 234th and 311th out of 357 teams. Not exactly the stiffest of competition.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame (1-1) | South Bend, Indiana (Joyce Center) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
On Tuesday evening, things ramp up for the Buckeyes (3-0) who travel to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame (1-1), rated 81st nationally by KenPom. The road game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
The Fighting Irish, led by Mike Brey in his 21st year as head coach, are coming off a 20-12 season during which they didn't beat any top-50 KenPom teams. They lost their top two scorers – John Mooney and TJ Gibbs – to graduation but bring back some veteran, talented guards to lead a team hoping to put together a better 2020-21 season. Notre Dame enters the day with a 1-1 record, having lost to Michigan State by 10 points in the opener before topping Detroit, 78-70, on Sunday.
This will be Ohio State's first road game of the season.
"I'm really anxious to see. I'm really anxious to see how we'll be and how we'll respond to being on the road together," Holtmann said on Monday. "It's been a while, right, since we've had to pack our bags and suitcases and head out together. It's been since March. I'm really anxious to see. We're playing a veteran team. I'm anxious to see how we do playing a veteran team. We're playing an ACC opponent that's a talented group. Right now, I think we're all excited to see what we're going to look like here in this environment on the road."
Three Important Buckeyes
CJ Walker
Walker's never going to be the most dynamic player on Ohio State's roster. That's not his deal, though. He runs the show on both ends of the court, sets the tone as the unquestioned leader and facilitates. So far, so good.
He'll want to improve on his shooting percentage of 34.8, but he's scored in double-figures all three games and, most importantly, has totalled 15 assists and five turnovers. Walker will try to carry that momentum to South Bend.
"I also think that we've handled the ball really well," Holtmann said. "Our assist-to-turnover ratio and our turnover percentage has been really, really good. That's been an improvement for us. We'll see how consistent that stays. When you have veteran guards, I think that helps in that regard."
Justice Sueing
It's time to see Sueing do it against high-major competition as a Buckeye. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound redshirt junior forward leads the Buckeyes in scoring through three games with 15 points per game. He's lived up to his billing as somebody who can get to the rim, finish through contact and score in transition, but he's done so versus Illinois State, UMass Lowell and Morehead State.
Being equally as productive in South Bend is the next step.
Zed Key
Speaking of somebody who's experiencing a step up in competition...
At least Sueing spent two years at Cal. Key, a freshman big man, hasn't ever faced high-major opponents. He's Holtmann's go-to backup big man, averaging 7.3 points and five rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game, so he'll get ample playing time on Tuesday. This is a test run for what he'll see the rest of the season.
Three Important Fighting Irish
Dane Goodwin
Recognize the name? You should.
Goodwin, an Upper Arlington product, was once committed to Ohio State and almost certainly would be suiting up for this game in a scarlet and gray jersey had Thad Matta stuck around. Instead, a little less than two weeks after Gene Smith made Holtmann Ohio State's next coach, Goodwin decommitted to reevaluate his options and ended up in South Bend.
The 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior's role has steadily risen, coming off the bench as a freshman (6.4 points per game) and sophomore (10.8 points per game) before earning a starting spot this season. Through two games, he's averaging 13.5 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes per game. Not surprising to those who watched him in high school: He's a sharpshooter from the outside (37.7 percent from 3 last season) who also got to the free-throw line seven times against Michigan State.
Prentiss Hubb
When Hubb is on, he's tough to handle. When he's not, he can play into the hands of an opponent that wants him to go crazy with his shot selection.
Hubb, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound junior guard, scored 23 points in the loss to the Spartans and 18 points to help beat Detroit, but he shot below 40 percent in both games. In fact, the third-year starter made only 32.4 percent of his shots as a true freshman and 38.5 percent as a sophomore. Efficiency is decidedly not the name of his game. Regardless, the Fighting Irish rely on him in a big way. He uses 32.8 percent of his team's possessions while on the court, which is the 39th-most among all players in the country.
Nate Laszewski
This 6-foot-10, 227-pound junior had been waiting for a breakout that has finally come.
Laszewski, a first-time starter, is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes per game in the early going. He's hit 58.8 percent of his shots and, notably, extends beyond the arc where he averaged four 3-point attempts while shooting in the low-30-percent range each of the past two seasons. Kyle Young will get the first shot at checking Laszewski.
Three Things To Watch
Will The Shots Fall?
Right now, the Buckeyes are shooting 32.2 percent from 3-point range, which isn't great. The mark is good for ninth in the Big Ten and 152nd in the country. Holtmann considers himself an optimist.
"I definitely think we'll shoot it better than what we've shot it," Holtmann said.
For his own sake, it would help to be proven correct on Tuesday. The Fighting Irish saw outside shooting as a strength coming into the season, and that's been the case so far. They've hit 43.2 percent of their attempted 3s.
Anything Look Different?
Sometimes, low-major opponents can lull you into thinking something you eventually take back. In that sense, the first high-major game is sort of like truth serum. It'll make you rethink prior positions.
"I think it's important to get some of that feedback that you need to move forward and work on some things," Holtmann said. "No question I like playing a game like this, even though it's going to be a great challenge. But I like the feedback that we're going to be able to take from it, win or lose, moving forward."
First Road Trip In The COVID-19 Era
More than ever before, Ohio State will bus to games instead of fly. More than ever before, Ohio State will travel to games on the day they tip off. And more than ever before, Ohio State will wake up on game days without being 100 percent sure it will play.
Such is life as a college basketball team in 2020.
The Buckeyes, however, already flew to South Bend on Monday after practice. So, this trip won't be as different than some in the future.
Other Notes
- Musa Jallow is a game-time decision, and he's trending toward a return to the court. He missed the past two games and was seen with a medical boot on his right foot. Holtmann: "He practiced yesterday, so we'll see how he is today. He'll be a game-time decision, as well. It was just some soreness in his Achilles area. I think that was why there was hesitation about playing him in the last game."
- The latest Seth Towns update from Holtmann: "I think he's going to be kind of a game-to-game and week-to-week decision. I think it's really going to depend on what he feels like, the confidence in his knee. He's only been about a week and a half into practice right now, so I think it's really regular communication between us and what he feels like his conditioning/confidence is and his ability to play at this level right now."
- What does Holtmann expect from wing Eugene Brown III as a true freshman: "His impact this year with this group will be defending multiple perimeter positions, rebounding the ball, presenting some rebounding opportunities defensively and offensively, and the when his offense is there, being ready."
- How does Holtmann see Jimmy Sotos fitting in after managing just three points in three games: "I think he's getting a better feel, a little bit a better feel. I really see that his progression will just be that – a progression – as the year goes on. His comfort level with playing both at the one and the two spot. But he's practiced really well."
- Ohio State plans to add another game to its non-conference schedule after Saturday's tilt with Alabama A&M got scratched due to a positive COVID-19 test. The Bulldogs were in Columbus when somebody within the program tested positive, leading to the cancellation the day before tip-off.
The line: Ohio State favored by five points
The prediction: Ohio State 72, Notre Dame 69
