Ohio State took on Urbana, a team that won just six games in Division II last season, in its last exhibition game on Sunday afternoon, and it went about how you'd expect.
The Buckeyes blasted Urbana 137-54 in a game that was even more lopsided than that score might indicate.
It was ugly, but it wasn't worthless. Here are five things we learned about this Ohio State team from the blowout win in its final exhibition game before the start of the season.
1. Ohio State Can Shoot Free Throws
Urbana really couldn't stop Ohio State from scoring in any legal way and needless to say, the Buckeyes shot a lot of free throws on Sunday afternoon, and they made them.
Ohio State's starters went 23-for-26 from the free-throw arc – 88 percent.
While you can attest many stats from this game to the level of opponent the Buckeyes were facing, free-throw percentage isn't one of them. After all, the free throw line is no closer to the rim against Urbana than it is against UConn.
2. Linnae Harper is Versatile
Ohio State lost a ton of versatility with the departure of Shayla Cooper following last season, but Linnae Harper is doing her best to fill that void.
Like Cooper, Harper can play both inside and outside. She can take the ball up the court as a point guard on one possession, then score in the post on the next. She's about six inches shorter than Cooper, but she sure doesn't play like it – she had 12 rebounds on Sunday, many of which came against much taller defenders.
3. Ohio State Gives Up Open Threes
If there's one thing the Buckeyes didn't do well on Sunday, it was close out on Urbana's three-point attempts. The Blue Knights found open shots from behind the arc and hit them for much of the game as Urbana shot 12-for-31 from behind the arc.
Imagine shooting 39 percent from three-point range and losing by 81 points.
4. Kelsey Mitchell Can Pass
Throughout her Buckeye career, Kelsey Mitchell has been known for her scoring, but she spent much of Sunday's exhibition setting up her teammates instead, dishing out 12 assists in the game.
Don't get me wrong, she got her points too, finishing with game-high 27, but she seemed to be making a point to distribute the ball to her teammates. It worked – every Buckeye starter finished with over 20 points on the day.
5. There is Very, Very Little Depth
One explanation for such a lopsided score was that the Buckeyes didn't really have a bench to empty once the game got out of hand.
Ohio State played every player that was available on Sunday, which was only nine players. The Buckeyes didn't even have a deep enough bench to pull every starter.
Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing if Ohio State can stay healthy. A tight rotation generally means good team chemistry, but an injury could be disastrous.
