In any ordinary year, a 44-point beatdown of a Division II opponent in an exhibition game might not tell you a whole lot about a given Buckeye basketball team.
This year, though, with all the new pieces on an Ohio State roster that hasn’t had much time to play together, Tuesday’s exhibition was more insightful than usual. Among the headlines from the 101-57 win over Chaminade was a breakout performance from Tanner Holden, the injury absences of Justice Sueing and Eugene Brown and a wide range of contributions from the Buckeyes’ freshmen class.
Here are a handful of takeaways from Tuesday’s exhibition at the Schott.
Holden red hot off the bench
The Wright State transfer came off the bench in Tuesday’s exhibition. If Holden keeps playing as he did against Chaminade, that will change in a hurry.
In just 25 minutes of action, Holden dropped 25 points to lead all scorers, hitting 10 of his 12 shots attempts in a highly efficient night. Holden knocked down both of his 3-point shot attempts, dunked the ball twice and converted on several layups as well.
@tannerholden_23 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/fAr6NTgxH7
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 2, 2022
Nineteen of Holden’s points came in the first half alone, as he led a 19-2 run for Ohio State in the final 6:26 before intermission. That stretch essentially snuffed out any hope of a close affair for Chaminade, which couldn’t hang with the Buckeyes after that.
Holtmann said Holden struggled in the Buckeyes’ “secret” scrimmage against Wake Forest last week, but his performance against Chaminade suggests that won’t necessarily be the norm.
“Tanner's been good. Tanner really struggled in the scrimmage. … So I felt like he played better. Obviously, he really came on and did some great things tonight, played really well,” Holtmann said. “But I think the other day was kind of like, 'Whoa.' It was eye-opening for him, and he just came back with the right approach and worked to put his head down and work differently. I knew he would respond.”
Holden led a bench unit that scored 57 of Ohio State’s 101 points on the night, and it’ll be hard to keep him off the court if he continues to be as productive as he was in Tuesday’s matchup with the Silverswords. Either way, Holtmann said Holden will play “starter-type minutes” even if he’s not starting, and Holden said he’s comfortable playing any role for the Buckeyes.
“I'll play wherever. Coach Holtmann's a great coach. He knows where to put people and what to do,” Holtmann said. “So overall, just finding my role. We got off to a great start. But we got a lot of players, a lot of versatile players who can make plays. My teammates really set me up very well. So you know, we got a lot of guys who can score like that. So it'll be a good season for us.”
Still without Sueing
Any fans hoping to see the return of Justice Sueing after missing all but two games last season left the Schottenstein Center disappointed.
During the preseason, the sixth-year forward and second-year Buckeye captain said he was “110%” healthy from the abdominal injury that plagued him since the end of the 2020-21 season. But Sueing encountered another health issue in the lead-up to the season, albeit a far less severe one.
Holtmann mentioned at Big Ten Media Days last month that Sueing sprained his ankle the week prior, and it caused the veteran wing to sit out of Tuesday’s exhibition. However, it sounds likely – although not certain – that Sueing could suit up for Ohio State’s season opener against Robert Morris on Monday.
“I would expect justice to get closer to that point. Justice, I feel bad for the kid,” Holtmann said. “Because he's been a part of pretty much everything we've done once he got healthy towards the end of summer. He probably could have played in the Bahamas, but that was more of a precaution. And this, he just had an ankle sprain, came back, played in the scrimmage. Then he had an ankle tweak again, same ankle, and that's why he was out.”
Sueing is a starter for Ohio State when healthy, and he may even be the best player on a team loaded with freshmen and transfers. He’ll have to get on the court to prove that, but Sueing’s ankle shouldn’t keep him out for any extended duration.
Disappointing rebounding effort
Even without two long wings in Sueing and Brown, who Holtmann called two of his best rebounders, Ohio State held a size advantage against Chaminade. That showed up in its 54-22 edge in points in the paint.
It didn’t show up nearly as much on the glass, though. And particularly early. Ohio State held just a 25-24 rebounding edge at halftime, and that was after a late surge in the opening period. The Buckeyes gave up nine offensive rebounds to the Silverswords in the first half and 16 for the game. Ohio State only had nine offensive boards for the entire game.
“I just don't think we're nearly where we need to be on that end. On either end. … We have really stressed it,” Holtmann said. “And we had two of our better rebounders out, but I just think we've got to get better in that area. I just don't think we're nearly where we need to be. We're not physical enough. We don't pursue the ball with enough effort. Our size is OK, but it's not overwhelming. And I just think we've got to be better in that area.”
Felix Okpara finished with nine rebounds to lead all Buckeyes, but Key, who started at center, pulled down just five. While Holtmann credited Key’s ability as an offensive rebounder, he said the junior big man will have to work on cleaning up the glass on defense.
Starting freshmen struggle on offense
Holtmann started two true freshmen against Chaminade, as Bruce Thornton and Brice Sensabaugh got the nod in their first-ever exhibition games at Ohio State. In terms of efficiency on offense, though, both left something to be desired.
Despite finishing with a game-high 11 assists, Thornton shot just 1-for-7 from the floor and ended the night with two points in 26 minutes.
As for Sensabaugh, who may be replaced by Sueing in the starting lineup when the Hawaii native returns to full health, he wasn’t a whole lot hotter on offense. Sensabaugh missed his first five shots as he struggled to get going early. The first-year wing went on to hit three of his final six shots to finish with 11 points, and his eight rebounds were a welcome sight as well, given the overall effort in that department. But it wasn’t the explosive front-to-back performance some might have hoped for.
Roddy Gayle had the best night of any Buckeye freshman on offense, knocking down 6-of-7 shots to finish with 14 points and a plus/minus of 41, and Bowen Hardman silenced some doubters with a 12-point performance on 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
But Holtmann said Hardman, a three-star prospect out of high school, is “just not physically ready to compete at both ends."
@BowenHardman pic.twitter.com/B3WIDDwtEV
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 2, 2022
Likekele, McNeil glue things together
Holden had the standout performance of the night, but Ohio State’s other two transfer additions showed they’ll be able to contribute plenty to the Buckeye lineup this season as well. Oklahoma State and West Virginia transfers Isaac Likekele and Sean McNeil both got the nod to start on Tuesday, and each finished with or near double figures in the scoring column.
Likekele, who often played off the ball when Thornton was on the floor, put up 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Likekele scored in various ways, going coast-to-coast for an and-one layup, hitting a turnaround jumper in the high post and even connecting on his one 3-point attempt of the night. For a player who only hit 19 threes in his first four seasons of college basketball, the 3-point make was an especially promising sign for Holtmann and company.
Likekele also had four rebounds, three assists and three steals, and he packed all that into just 19 minutes of action.
McNeil didn’t score in the first half but heated up quickly at the start of the final frame. Of his four second-half 3-point tries, McNeil hit three of them, finishing with nine points in just nine minutes on the court in the closing period.
