There were always going to be growing pains with so many new pieces on Jake Diebler's first Ohio State basketball team, and those pains were prevalent against No. 23 Texas A&M on Friday.
The Buckeyes shot 21.9% from the field and 29.1% from 3 in the first half and saw the Aggies shoot 40 free throws over the course of a 78-64 loss. Texas A&M places huge emphasis on offensive rebounding in its program, but that still doesn't excuse the 13 offensive boards Ohio State allowed.
In a press conference with the media on Monday, Diebler discussed those areas and some others where his team can improve. The Buckeyes get a trio of weaker opponents at home in Evansville, Campbell and Green Bay before their next test against a Power Conference opponent in Pitt on Nov. 29.
“There were a few of them where we were settling instead of touching the paint. This has been documented, we want to shoot 3s, but not void of paint touches.”– Jake Diebler on Ohio State's 3-point shooting against Texas A&M
Ohio State finished 8-of-30 from 3 (26.7%) and 12-of-29 from 2 (41.4%) against Texas A&M, though its 2-point number in the first half was much worse, just 2-of-15 (13.3%). For better efficiency in both areas, Diebler wants more touches for the Buckeyes' bigs in the paint and better ball movement in general, though he acknowledged the team's improvements in those areas in the second half.
“Offensively, we've gotta take care of the ball better. We can't settle (for shots). ... Defensively, it's fouling and rebounding.”– Jake Diebler on where the Buckeyes need to improve
Along those offensive lines, Diebler wants better shot selection from his players and fewer turnovers. The Buckeyes are averaging 13.3 giveaways per game three games into the season. Ohio State committed 24 fouls against Texas A&M and has had at least 19 whistles blown against it in each of its three contests.
Diebler added that he felt his team lacked pace in the first half, but did a better job playing with more urgency in the final 20 minutes.
“You gotta stay aggressive, just slow down a little bit in the paint. I think that's been the biggest area for him. He has to play with a little bit more poise in the paint.”– Jake Diebler on what he's telling Meechie Johnson Jr.
It's been a rough start to the season for starting guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who transferred back to Ohio State after emerging as a star at South Carolina. He's shooting a career-low 30.8% from the field, with more turnovers (11) than made shots (8). He's shown he's capable of better, and Diebler thinks the key is better decisions when he drives to the rim.
