Cleveland State wasn't on the initial schedule released by Ohio State, or even the second slate of games.
But eventually the Vikings found their way into the Buckeyes crosshairs. On Sunday, the two Ohio-based teams will face off at the Schottenstein with Ohio State looking for its fifth straight win to start the year and Cleveland State seeking a massive upset which would be its first victory this season.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland State (0-2) | Schottenstein Center | 4 p.m. | BTN |
The Buckeyes-Vikings game tips off at 4 p.m. Sunday on Big Ten Network.
Ohio State, now ranked No. 22 nationally, will enter the afternoon matchup without leading scorer and rebounder E.J. Liddell who's out indefinitely with a non-COVID-19 illness. He'll be out for a bare minimum of a week, a source told Eleven Warriors, and it could be multiple weeks before getting back onto the court for the Buckeyes.
Still, a Liddell-less Ohio State team enters the day as a 24.5-point favorite to top the winless Vikings who lost 70-61 to Toledo then fell 101-46 to Ohio. The Bobcats made headlines for a 40-0 run in the middle of the beatdown of Cleveland State, which hopes to pull a stunner on Ohio State this weekend.
Three Important Buckeyes
Kyle Young
Already, Young's got a heck of a role as the starting center who's averaging 6.8 points and 7.3 boards in 25.3 minutes per game. With Liddell now out of action, his job becomes even more important. Cleveland State won't bring the physicality and interior talent of some upcoming opponents, which should take some of the pressure off of Young on Sunday. But he'll still be needed for his energy and rebounding, along with perhaps some additional scoring.
Justice Sueing
Speaking of scoring... To get by without Liddell, Ohio State will need some of his teammates to step up even further as bucket-getters. Sueing is already averaging 15.3 points per game, dropping double-digit points in all four games thus far, so he'll be counted on to maintain his scoring proficiency. As expected, he's shown himself to be an adept finisher through contact and in transition, and he has also hit 4-of-8 3-pointers – which was an area to watch. Sueing could be in line to lead the Buckeyes in points on Sunday.
Musa Jallow
If head coach Chris Holtmann opts to go small, he could chose to shift Jallow into the starting five. Either way, as long as he doesn't experience another health-related setback, he'll again find himself in the Buckeyes' rotation versus the Vikings.
Three Important Vikings
Craig Beaudion
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound senior is the lead guard on an offense that's been stagnant out of the gates. He scored 14 points to go along with four boards and two assists in 36 minutes versus Toledo before playing 15 scoreless minutes in the blowout loss to Ohio. A season ago, he averaged 10.4 points, 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, doing most of his damage inside the 3-point line and at the foul line where he shot nearly four free throws per game.
Torrey Patton
The status of preseason second-team All-Horizon League big man Algevon Eichelberger is unknown considering he didn't play in the opening two games, but as long as he doesn't make his return this weekend, Patton will be Cleveland State's leading returning scorer. He managed 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game a year ago, hitting 45.8 percent of his shots from the field, 42.4 percent of his 3-pointers and only 57.1 percent of his free throws. This season, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard has struggled with seven points, seven fouls and eight turnovers in 47 minutes.
Tre Gomillion
This guard-heavy roster also includes Gomillion, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound Georgian who's averaging 7.5 points and four rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game. One of the more physical Vikings, he's one of four starters who stand 6-foot-5 or shorter.
Three Things To Watch
Who Gets E.J. Liddell's Minutes?
Because of the lack of depth in Ohio State's frontcourt and Seth Towns' injury, this doesn't have an obvious solution. Does Zed Key move into the lineup to have a true big man next to Young? Do Jallow or Justin Ahrens start, putting Sueing at power forward? As long as Eichelberger doesn't play, Cleveland State will have a small lineup, so Holtmann could afford to rely on less size if he so chooses.
Shooting On The Uptick?
Ohio State, it appears, can shoot again. The long national nightmare concluded. The team shot 48.8 percent from 3-point range against Notre Dame after posting marks of 33.3, 22.2 and 38.5 percent shooting from behind the arc in the prior three games. Duane Washington Jr., CJ Walker and Justin Ahrens combined to go 9-for-15 on 3s last game. That trio will be key to the Buckeyes' outside shooting prowess throughout this season.
Is Seth Towns Back Yet?
This is the question that gets asked all the time, and yet it won't stop being brought up until we have an answer. It's been more than 1,000 days since he's played a college basketball game. Holtmann recently called him day-to-day and week-to-week. It would make some sense to get Towns some run in the final game against a low-major opponent of the season, but it's not worth it if there's any risk at all.
Prediction: Ohio State 87, Cleveland State 63
