Basketball Preview: Buckeyes Face Short-Notice Opponent UCLA In Bounce-Back Attempt

As part of the annual CBS Sports Classic, the Buckeyes were fully prepared to take on North Carolina at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Not even the pandemic shifted those plans – until Tuesday.

That night, head coach Chris Holtmann was alerted to a conflict of sorts between Kentucky and UCLA – the other two schools contracted to participate in the event – over the COVID-19 protocols. Abiding with the Pac-12's daily antigen testing, UCLA's standards are more stringent than the SEC's. So, a switch from the Tar Heels to the Bruins in order to align UCLA with a Big Ten opponent under stricter coronavirus protocols was proposed to Holtmann. Wednesday morning, Holtmann called Roy Williams to confirm he'd be fine with the decision as long as it kept the event in tact, and he was.

That afternoon, the CBS Sports Classic made the opponent change official. So, on short notice, No. 20 Ohio State (5-1) will take on UCLA (5-1) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday as it looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season.

"As far as how it affects things, we have limited prep anyway," Holtmann said. "We were going to have a one-day prep for this opponent either way. Our staff had already done some work on North Carolina, so we were a little bit behind on preparing for UCLA, but it's certainly doable, especially given the fact that we were going to have limited prep time anyway."

Mick Cronin's Bruins have things rolling after a season-opening 73-58 loss at San Diego State. 

They've rattled off five straight wins against Pepperdine, Seattle, California, San Diego and, most impressively, Marquette. The media voted them to win the Pac-12 in the preseason, and their recent play has showed why.

"We can't take away everything UCLA does in a one-day prep," Holtmann said. "They're a really good team. Really well-coached. I think they're going to have a great year. I know they were picked to win the Pac-12. They're really good. Really impressed with them on tape. They had one slip-up early in the year, I think their first game, but outside of that now that they're at full strength, they're a really good team."

Three Things To Watch

Health Improving?

Ohio State was missing four players in its 67-60 loss to Purdue, and it'll likely be without three again on Saturday. 

Ibrahima Diallo's "still recovering" from a concussion and won't play. Mid-year enrollee Meechie Johnson traveled with the team to his home town of Cleveland yet won't debut as a Buckeye until January at the earliest. Seth Towns continues to work his way back from a knee injury that has kept him out for over 1,000 days. Holtmann doesn't have a timeline for his return, saying it "could be in a month or it could be in a couple days."

But most importantly, E.J. Liddell is expected to play versus the Bruins. His return from mononucleosis was first reported by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein and confirmed by Eleven Warriors. It's unclear how many minutes he'll play after dealing with fatigue since being diagnosed. He participated in Friday's practice but was limited. The absence of the team's leading scorer and rebounder was felt in Wednesday's game, and his return to the court will be a big deal alongside Kyle Young – who's dealing with ankle soreness – and Zed Key.

UCLA's frontcourt will challenge the healthy bodies on the Buckeyes' roster. Cody Riley, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound starting forward, records 8.8 points and five rebounds per game. Coming off the bench is long-armed Jalen Hill, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center who's averaging 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.75 blocks per game.

Battle Of Scoring Guards/Wings

Both teams have a pairing of guards and wings who'll need to get buckets on Saturday to propel their respective offenses.

On Ohio State, it's Duane Washington Jr. and Justice Sueing who have to get going. Washington is second on the team with 14.5 points per game, but he's shooting 36.4 percent from the floor. He went just 2-for-9 from 3-point range against Purdue. The Buckeyes need better efficiency out of him. Sueing is managing 14 points per game, and he's looking to rebound from some poor late-game moments on Wednesday with a turnover, missed shot under the rim and instance where he didn't chase a loose ball.

Those two Buckeyes will get a healthy dose of 6-foot-6, 225-pound wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 6-foot-9, 215-pound guard Chris Smith, UCLA's leading scorers. Jaquez is averaging 14.8 points and six rebounds per game while hitting 57.1 percent of his shots and going 11-for-24 from 3-point range, and Smith is putting up 13.2 points per game with seven boards per game on 41.1 percent shooting. He's also been deadly from behind with arc, making 8 of his 17 attempts from deep. 

Tough It Out

Cronin doesn't exactly embody the glitz and glam typically propagated by Los Angeles, and neither do his UCLA Bruins.

"You really see the influence of Mick's personality on this UCLA team and this UCLA program," Holtmann said. "You see a level of togetherness in how they play offensively and defensively, a commitment on the defensive end, a commitment on the glass. You certainly see that."

If the Buckeyes are to top Cronin's squad, they'll need to showcase toughness and physicality in a matchup with the Pac-12 favorite. In the past, they've been able to do that. Cronin has an 0-3 all-time record versus the Buckeyes that he'd like to improve this weekend.

Prediction: Ohio State 71, UCLA 67