Ohio State's men’s basketball team has now surpassed the halfway point on its 2023-24 schedule.
With sixteen of 31 games completed, the Buckeyes stand at 12-4 on the season and despite some recent struggles, any goals they may have had going into the year are still very much attainable.
While a 2-3 start to Big Ten play and the continuation of an 11-game road losing streak provide plenty of cause for concern, Ohio State isn’t devoid of positives to take away from wins over some decent opponents including Alabama and Minnesota.
The Buckeyes’ still-young roster – six of their top nine pieces are underclassmen – has work to do if the players want to make any sort of postseason run. But they remain confident that they have the parts to build to a high level of play.
“I think so,” Jamison Battle said when asked if Ohio State has enough experience to win close games. “And I think the thing is we’re still learning, we’re still growing. There’s still a lot of young pieces on this team and there’s older guys on this team who have experience, and I think that’s on me to show that experience. Regardless of if I haven’t won a lot of Big Ten games, I still feel like I’ve played in a lot of meaningful ones and played in a lot of Big Ten games. So for me, I’ll take the responsibility in that aspect where I’ve gotta be a leader in that regard.”
Two strengths
Offensive efficiency
Outside of Battle, the Buckeyes struggled to knock down shots in losses to Indiana and Wisconsin this past week, going 7-of-27 (25.9%) from three against the Hoosiers and 6-of-18 (33.3%) against the Badgers. Ohio State also went 4-of-10 at the free throw line versus Wisconsin with some critical misses down the stretch.
Still, Holtmann said after both contests that Ohio State’s offense was still generating quality looks.
“We really got a couple of the looks that we exactly wanted if I’m being honest,” Holtmann said after the Wisconsin loss.
Ohio State’s efficiency statistics back up his words.
Despite the lackluster offensive outings the Buckeyes have had in their last two contests, they still rank 53rd nationally (85th percentile in college basketball) in points per 100 possessions, scoring 113.8 points per 100 trips down the court.
KenPom’s opponent-adjusted offensive efficiency metric places them even higher at 28th in the country (92nd percentile).
When Ohio State converts on its opportunities, it has one of the most efficient offenses in the Big Ten.
Jamison Battle and Bruce Thornton
Recent shooting woes aside, Thornton is one of the best point guards in the Big Ten this year.
He paces Ohio State with 16.6 points per game, but perhaps more impressive is his role as a distributor for the Buckeyes on offense. His gaudy assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.4 is second in the Big Ten, and he’s sixth in assists per game league-wide as well.
A recent 1-of-12 stretch from three has tanked Thornton’s percentage, but he shot 41.8% from beyond the arc across Ohio State’s first 10 games. He’s capable of hitting from distance more often than his current rate of 33.3%.
Battle leads the Big Ten in both three-point percentage (46.8%) and total made threes (51). His percentage is 10th nationally.
He became the first Ohio State player since Jon Diebler in 2009 to knock down at least five threes in four consecutive games. On a 4-of-5 night from downtown against Wisconsin, he came up one triple shy of being the first Buckeye ever to hit five in five straight contests.
Battle has scored at least 17 points in each of the Buckeyes’ last five games.
Two areas to improve
Offensive consistency
Ohio State shot just 28.2% from the field in the second half of the Indiana game.
Even with the above-mentioned struggles shooting from three, the Buckeyes are still shooting 36.9% on the year from outside, good for 52nd in the country and fourth in the Big Ten. The issue, again, is that they’ve gone through stretches of late where their threes aren’t falling.
Ohio State's perimeter game has also been absent during some wins, as the Buckeyes shot a measly 1-of-15 from three against UCLA. Battle hit the lone triple with 46 seconds remaining, though the Bruins also failed to make a shot from outside for the first 27 minutes of a 67-60 defensive battle.
Ball security has also hurt Ohio State in several games. It turned the ball over 14 times against Indiana and the Hoosiers and held a 22-5 advantage in points off turnovers.
“Their defense did bother us at times, then also (it was) just miscues,” Thornton said after the loss. “I feel like we need to be stronger with the ball and just have more ball security and be patient on offense. But at the end of the day, we’ve just got to get better and move on.”
Another 15 giveaways impeded Ohio State during its 83-80 defeat at Penn State on Dec. 9, a game that the Buckeyes led by 18 points in the second half.
Free-throw shooting is another area that’s been a roller coaster. In addition to the 4-of-10 night against the Badgers, Ohio State also went 58.8% at the charity stripe in its first loss of the season to Texas A&M despite shooting a respectable 74.2% from the line on its campaign overall.
Late-game defense
Speaking of the Buckeyes’ loss to the Nittany Lions, Penn State caught fire in the second half against Ohio State to ignite its come-from-behind victory.
PSU followed a 34.4%-shooting first half by knocking down 60.6% of its second-half looks, going 8-of-15 from three. Some of that was due to impressive shotmaking, but some of it also had to do with defensive lapses.
“They made shots. Those guys made shots,” Holtmann said after the loss. “I think, certainly, the thing that we could control is defending the line better.”
Wisconsin closed on a 19-4 run against the Buckeyes in their latest affair, going from down four to a 71-60 victory across the final six minutes in Value City Arena. Badger guard Max Klesmit recorded 12 of the 19.
“Some of these guys are going through it, they’re young in their career,” Holtmann said on Wednesday. “We’ve just gotta be able to rely at a little bit higher level on our defense and then be able to convert some of those easy looks.”
Three questions
How deep will the rotations go?
Ohio State’s depth pieces each had moments through the first two months of the season but the Wisconsin game saw perhaps the Buckeyes’ shortest rotation to date. Only six players played at least 11 minutes. Forward Zed Key played a season-low 10 minutes and guard Dale Bonner also saw a season-low eight minutes.
“We need to get more out of our bench,” Holtmann said after the Wisconsin loss.
Bonner has played stout defense in stretches, posted four double-figure scoring games and has 22 assists against 10 turnovers. He’s only scored five points combined across the Buckeyes’ last four contests, however, and his usage is the lowest it’s been all year. He also only saw the floor for 11 minutes at Indiana.
Key was averaging double-figures for much of the season but has failed to surpass five points in three of his last four outings, taking just eight combined shots in those three games.
Freshman forward Devin Royal has been limited by an illness recently and has still only played more than 12 minutes twice. If he earns a larger role in the last few months of the year, it would be welcome depth for Ohio State in the frontcourt.
Can the Buckeyes sustain their recent success rebounding?
Lost in Ohio State’s recent hiccups is its increased presence on the glass.
The Buckeyes dominated Indiana 49-27 in total rebounds and also bested Wisconsin 34-32.
That’s helpful news because shortcomings in the rebounding department – particularly on the defensive end – were a major reason why Ohio State fell to both Texas A&M and Penn State. The Aggies held a 19-9 advantage in second-chance points over the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions picked up 14 second-chance points in the second half to fuel their comeback.
For the season, Ohio State is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 6.6 boards per game.
Can Roddy Gayle Jr. be a reliable option in Big Ten play?
In the three games since Ohio State entered its full-time conference schedule, Gayle has struggled. He’s shot 11-of-46 (23.9%) from the field and 1-of-13 from three with 12 turnovers against five assists.
“It’s decision-making combined with his ball skills growing and getting better,” Holtmann said. “This is part of the process for a young player growing into a good player. It’s not going to happen overnight for him. We didn’t expect it to. There’s gonna be bumps along the way, but he’s gotta make some corrections in terms of just simplifying his attack, reading situations better.”
The highs for Gayle, particularly as a scorer, have been high this season. He’s racked up at least 15 points in seven games, including a career-high 32-point outburst during Ohio State’s 78-75 overtime win against West Virginia.
"It’s not going to happen overnight for him. We didn’t expect it to. There’s gonna be bumps along the way, but he’s gotta make some corrections."– Chris Holtmann on Roddy Gayle
But when he’s having an off shooting night, his decision-making and facilitation of the offense haven’t been to the caliber of Thornton’s. Gayle only has two more assists (50) than he has turnovers (48) this season.
“We’ve always challenged him with the consistent motor, bringing that every day,” Holtmann said on Tuesday. “Bringing that level of consistency that good players bring, because he’s got it in him. But he needs to be more consistent. I’ve talked to him about that, his dad and his high school coach, we’ve all discussed that with him. We just need that from Roddy.”
If Ohio State wants to get to the level it desires, it needs more balance and proficiency from Gayle.
Overall outlook
Is a collapse in January and February possible? Yes, but Ohio State has the tools to ward off the demons that cost it during the team’s stretch losing 14 of 15 games in the first and second months of 2023.
The question pertains to whether the Buckeyes can maximize their pieces and find a springboard to gain some momentum. They enter a stretch of three road games in four contests before taking on No. 10 Illinois on Jan. 30.
Michigan, whose record stands at just 6-10 fresh off a five-game losing streak that includes a loss to McNeese State and three Big Ten opponents, should offer an opportunity for Ohio State to snap its 11-game road skid on Monday.
Holtmann’s belief in his group holds firm.
“I have a high level of belief in this team,” Holtmann said. “I really do, and I’m being completely honest. I have a high level of belief in this team and what we’re doing and the fact that we’re gonna grow. Last year is last year. This is a different group. The leadership is different.”
