Just three weeks ago, a performance like the one Ohio State put on Thursday seemed less than likely.
That’s because on Jan. 6, the Buckeyes got bullied, battered and bruised inside in a 16-point road loss to Indiana, which outscored Ohio State 38-10 in the paint during the blowout. Only one player outside of the Hoosiers’ two starting big men scored more than five points on the night, because Plan A was just that effective.
The final score may have been closer between Ohio State and Minnesota on Thursday, a 75-64 win for the Buckeyes, but the scarlet and gray showed they, too, can outclass a Big Ten opponent down low much like Indiana did to them three weeks earlier.
The Buckeyes get bonus points for doing so on the road, where they had lost two straight conference games entering Thursday. At Williams Arena in particular, Ohio State hadn’t won a game in seven years.
“All in all, I feel really good about this win, especially coming off of nine days (off),” Chris Holtmann said after the win. “They had a key guy out (Eric Curry), we had a key guy out (Jamari Wheeler). I think overall, any time you can come and get a road win at a place that’s really difficult, tremendous venue, great fans – trust me, I’ve felt that the last couple years. Glad to be able to get a win. We know we’re gonna have to be even better when we play this group here again in a couple weeks.”
By game’s end, the landslide discrepancy in a number of statistics told the story of the contest all on their own. Ohio State finished with a whopping 48-22 edge in total rebounds. Second chance points were 27-6 in the Buckeyes’ direction, and the scarlet and gray had 14 more points in the paint.
Minnesota entered the game as the worst total and offensive rebounding team in the conference, and it certainly showed on Thursday. The Gophers were without starting big man Eric Curry, the team’s leading rebounder, and without him, only one player mustered more than four rebounds.
Ohio State’s rebounding numbers weren’t much better entering the game, as the Buckeyes ranked third-worst in the Big Ten with an average of 35.3 per night. But the separation from their opposition was not hard to see.
The offensive glass in particular was key for the Buckeyes, who finished with a 20-6 edge in that department. Star forward E.J. Liddell had eight offensive boards by himself, and his 15 total boards for the game were a new career-high as the junior also topped the 1,000-point mark for his career in the win.
.@B1GMBBall players since 2010 to post 20 points, 15 rebounds & 5 assists in a game:
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 28, 2022
E.J. Liddell, tonight at Minnesota
Ethan Happ, 2018 at Virginia
Caleb Swanigan, 2017 vs. Michigan State & 2016 vs. McNeese State#B1Gstats pic.twitter.com/SHDrcemv42
“I thought much was talked about with E.J. crossing that 1,000-point barrier, congratulations to him, I’m so happy for him,” Holtmann said. “He’s had a phenomenal career, he’s led this team in a really special way along with Kyle (Young) and Justin (Ahrens) and Jamari. I’m so happy for the kid. But ironically it was his best rebounding performance that I think he’s had here. All in all, I think honestly at times our best zone offense was the glass. We need to get better at executing against the zone, but I thought we were able to get key rebounds.”
Seventeen of Liddell’s game-high 23 points came on 2-point shots and free throws, but he was not the only Buckeye big to demonstrate his physical dominance over the Gophers. Kyle Young and Zed Key combined for 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, and the pair pulled down 12 rebounds as well.
Young had a quiet six points off the bench in the opening period, but scored eight straight points for Ohio State in a little over two minutes early in the second half, with six of those coming in the paint and two earned at the free-throw line. Young finished with 14 points for the game, which are his most since Dec. 8 in what can only be discerned as a positive sign for the Buckeyes.
Key had just two points in the first half and missed the first two shots he took in the second half. After that, though, the Buckeyes’ starting five man hit his final five attempts from the floor to close out the game, finishing the night with 12 points and eight boards in an impressive performance. Just like Young, Key’s scoring output was his most since Ohio State’s Dec. 8 matchup with Towson.
The effort of the Buckeye bigs was of particular importance on Thursday, because it was evident early on that Ohio State was not going to win an outside shooting contest. The Buckeyes started 1-for-8 from the 3-point line, and went to halftime having hit just three of their 15 attempts from deep.
As good as Ohio State was inside tonight, 3-point shooting continues to be a bit of an issue for the Buckeyes as of late.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) January 28, 2022
Ohio State's three worst single-game 3-point shooting percentages this season have come in its last four games.
.259 at Minn
.250 vs. PSU
.158 at Wisc
It didn’t get a whole lot better for Ohio State in that department in the final 20 minutes, as the Buckeyes shot just 4-for-12 from distance. With a 25.9 percent night from beyond the arc, Ohio State has now turned in its three worst single-game 3-point shooting percentages of the season within its last four games. The Buckeyes shot 15.8 percent against Wisconsin on Jan. 13 and 25 percent in a win against Penn State on Jan. 16.
Ohio State won’t always shoot so poorly from outside as it continues through the Big Ten gauntlet, and it won’t always have the edge inside, either. But the ability – and versatility – to win games both ways in the league is important for the Buckeyes as they continue through conference play, with a matchup with sixth-ranked Purdue looming Sunday.
