Something is starting to click on the defensive end of the floor for the Basketbucks.
Since halftime at No. 11 Purdue, there’s been a different fervor from Ohio State on that side of the ball. The Buckeyes slowed the Boilermakers to just 28 points in a 13-point second-half comeback that provided a needed surge of momentum before holding one of the nation’s elite offenses, Iowa, to a season-low 65 points on Monday.
“I thought our guys did a great job,” Diebler said after the Iowa win. “Played with physicality, aggressiveness, and really, really connected. We knew communication was going to be critical defensively this game, and I felt like we did a really good job communicating. And that's why we were able to, I think – especially in the first half – impact them with our defense.”
Ohio State’s defensive outing against Iowa is even more impressive when considering the efficiency that it required. The Buckeyes held the Hawkeyes to a season-low 39.3% from the field and an offensive rating of just 92.8. That translates to just .93 points per possession.
Iowa was the No. 4 scoring offense in the country entering Monday at 86.6 points per game and got plenty of bites at the apple thanks to both teams’ high pace. The Hawkeyes put up 61 shots against Ohio State, the fifth-most by an opponent in the Buckeyes' games that have ended in regulation. Still, the Buckeyes closed them down in an 82-65 win.
From the perspective of Ohio State point guard Bruce Thornton, it started behind the scenes in this week’s preparation.
“Our approach in practice,” Thornton said of what catalyzed Ohio State’s defense vs. the Hawkeyes. “The way other guys are holding each other accountable. Me forcing the issue, holding guys accountable. The energy level, the attention to detail, knowing that they have an offense that can hit a lot of 3s, play in transition, No. 32 (Owen Freeman) is a great rim runner. So we knew what we had to take away and we took them away, got the dub.”
Even Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery picked up on the Buckeyes’ effort and chemistry.
“You have to credit their defense,” McCaffery said. “They played really hard, they played really well defensively. They seemed to be connected.”
The Buckeyes have played better and better defensively as the year has progressed. They are now up to 26th nationally in KenPom’s opponent-adjusted defensive ratings at 96. Those same famed metrics indicate that Ohio State has gotten valuable experience against some elite offenses. The average offensive rating of the Buckeyes' opponents is the fourth-highest nationally.
KenPom says Ohio State has played the ninth most difficult schedule overall of the nation’s 364 teams.
“You've got to remember, it's a new system, new scheme for everybody,” Diebler said. “We are showing significant growth. And so, I appreciate Coach (McCaffery) saying that and noticing that, because it's something that we've been talking about and working on every time we're together. And I do feel like we are getting more and more connected. You're starting to see our experience that we're gaining, really on-the-job experience we're gaining, come through with us executing better defensively.”
Where Ohio State’s defensive games have been particularly noticeable against both Purdue and Iowa has been in the opening minutes of the second half.
The Buckeyes went on a 17-2 run to take a 45-43 lead coming out of halftime against the Boilermakers, allowing just two Purdue points in a six-minute span to start the second period. Ohio State took control against the Hawkeyes with an 18-4 run after Iowa guard Payton Sandfort made a layup in the opening seconds of the second half. Following that make, the Hawkeyes converted just one field goal in the next eight minutes against the Scarlet and Gray’s staunch ball stoppers.
“I think you're seeing an ability from our group as a whole to make adjustments,” Diebler said. “And then, I want to point out specifically Evan Mahaffey, Sean Stewart and Ques Glover. Those guys, we challenged them to do more, and I thought they were great in the second half (against Iowa).”
“You've got to remember, it's a new system, new scheme for everybody. We are showing significant growth.”– Jake Diebler on Ohio State's defensive Improvements
More than anything, Diebler sees improved leadership in his locker room driving his team’s defensive improvements and development at large. As Ohio State sits on the NCAA Tournament bubble with a chance to go .500 in January with a win at Penn State on Thursday, that growth will need to continue.
“We are now shifting more toward player-led accountability,” Diebler said. “Player-led leadership within the flow of the game. I know it was a big reason – I said this after the Purdue game, it was a big reason why we were able to play the way we did. ... There are times in the flow of the game where you get a score and you need to stop. There's an opportunity to turn and communicate the urgency necessary, the connectedness and the toughness necessary.
“When players are communicating that requirement to each other throughout the flow of the game or in between the quick stoppages where we huddle, I think that's really, really important. That's what we're seeing more and more of. Bruce is leading the way. Micah has done a really good job with that. Now it's becoming more contagious.”
