The three-ball just wasn’t falling for Ohio State early on Tuesday night. Less than five minutes into the second half, that script got flipped.
Through 20 minutes of play against Minnesota, the Buckeyes shot just 1-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished the first half with only 23 points – their fewest before halftime all season – as they entered the second half with a two-point deficit against a team they were favored to beat by 13.
By the time the game ended, though, Ohio State made that betting line look modest.
It took a dramatic second-half turnaround to get the Buckeyes back on track, but the 3-point line was instrumental in a final frame in which Ohio State outscored the Gophers 47-20. Ohio State hit nine of its 15 3-point attempts in the second half and went from trailing to dominating, going up by as many as 27 points before the final score read 70-45 at the Schottenstein Center.
“I thought our guys, really in the second half, were able to make some shots and I think that opened the defense up a little bit,” Chris Holtmann said after the game. “We played with a little more purpose on the offensive end there, and a little bit cleaner in the second half. Some of it was we had to adjust to how they were doing some things.”
Jamari Wheeler was the tip of the spear for the Buckeyes in the second half. The Penn State transfer point guard knocked down a triple on Ohio State’s first possession of the second half, and the other member of the Buckeyes’ starting backcourt followed suit thereafter.
“That was critical,” Holtmann said. “It was a late clock, we were trying to get the ball inside. He’s a really capable shooter with time and space. We know that. It might take him a minute, but he’s very capable. We want him to shoot those and be ready to shoot them.”
Four minutes after the Wheeler three, which gave Ohio State a 26-25 lead over Minnesota, Malaki Branham knocked down back-to-back shots from deep to give Ohio State an eight-point lead. Thirty-seven seconds later, Wheeler hit another for the Buckeyes, and by the time he hit his third 3-point shot of the second half at the 11:24 mark, Ohio State had mounted a commanding 13-point advantage.
The Buckeyes are sinking 3's left and right in Columbus tonight! @MalakiBranham // @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/BQrc6nHqgx
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 16, 2022
In the end, Ohio State shot 10-for-23 for the game from 3-point range. The Buckeyes had hit nine threes in any half of a game only one previous time this season: the first half of their 95-87 win over Northwestern on Jan. 9.
“Our offense needs that. Our offense needs multiple threats out there,” Holtmann said. “Jamari’s gonna get open looks against certain teams because of how they play our post players, and so will some other guys. I thought Malaki’s couple threes there early really opened things up.”
The initial barrage from Wheeler and Branham was enough to effectively end all hope of a Minnesota upset in Columbus, but several of their teammates got in on the act as well before all was said and done.
Just when E.J. Liddell seemed poised to have one of his quieter offensive nights in recent memory, a late flurry from the Buckeyes’ star forward and leading scorer dispelled that notion with haste. Liddell scored eight straight points for Ohio State from 5:04 to 3:51, a stretch in which he knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in a span of 31 seconds to put the Buckeyes ahead by 20 points. Liddell finished with 16 points as he hit double figures for the 33rd straight time dating back to last season.
An @EasyE2432 3 followed by a @SotosShow4 GRIDDY ohhhh boy . pic.twitter.com/7de4NiIKPq
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) February 16, 2022
“I’ve always said God has gifted him with the ability to score the ball,” Holtmann said. “He can roll out of bed and score the ball, and it’s a great gift.”
Cedric Russell knocked down another three for the Buckeyes with 2:56 to go, capping off a nine-point effort for the Louisiana transfer that continued his recent run of standout performances for Ohio State. Russell is now averaging 7.6 points in the past seven games for the Buckeyes, and he’s scored 21 combined in his past two efforts.
Justin Ahrens even saw one go down before the final buzzer sounded at the Schottenstein Center, knocking down his first three after three previous misfires to give Ohio State a 25-point lead with just 99 seconds to play.
Even with the Buckeyes starting so slow from behind the line, their performance shooting the ball from deep overall only underscores their increased comfort on their home floor, where they remain undefeated at 11-0 on the season. In Ohio State’s last appearance, a road win at Michigan, the Buckeyes hit just four of their 11 3-point attempts – the latter figure being their fewest of the year.
Luckily for Ohio State, Tuesday’s win marked the first of six home games it will have in its final eight games of the regular season. Given that Iowa – the top scoring offense in the Big Ten – is coming to town on Saturday, it’s safe to say the Buckeyes could use a few more threes to fall in their upcoming matchups as well.
“For our offense to continue to be successful, it cannot be just the E.J. Liddell show every night. You’re not beating good teams with that,” Holtmann said. “Teams are too good defensively, so we gotta have some variety.”
