Feeling Dangerous: Cleveland Browns Week 10 Winners and Losers
November 12, 2018Joe Schobert: The linchpin of the Browns defense
November 13, 2018This season will be an interesting one for the Ohio State Buckeyes on the hardwood. After completely outperforming expectations during Chris Holtmann’s first year at the helm last season, the scarlet and gray were (and are still) expected to have a bit of a letdown season in 2018-19. That doesn’t mean they can’t compete in the Big Ten, but after losing players such as Keita Bates-Diop, Jae’Sean Tate, and Kam Williams, making up for that scoring, toughness, and leadership will be tough.
Early on, the young Buckeyes have been impressive, even it is against two non-top 25 teams.
When the Buckeyes traveled to Cincinnati for the first time in nearly 100 years, there were plenty of questions surrounding both programs. With that said, Ohio State made the most of their opportunity and was able to steal a big win away from home and against a quality Bearcats squad, spoiling their home opener. Then, they returned home to dominate Purdue Fort Wayne over the weekend in the Buckeyes’ home opener.
With a team that has so many questions to start the season, one thing that seems certain is that Ohio State can be a very good defensive team, especially as the season rolls along. They held Cincinnati to just 56 points, including only 18 in the first half. They then held Mastodons to 61, including just 27 second-half points.
Six of Ohio State’s nine main rotation players are either freshmen or sophomores,1 which means it will likely take some time for the Buckeyes to gel offensively. But if they can lean on their defense much like they have through two games, Ohio State could make some noise and compete with the best teams in the Big Ten. Their offense will take some time and will only improve with more chemistry and experience, but it’s their defense that has been most impressive.
Buckeye Nation got a glimpse of what the Buckeyes can potentially do during the Buckeyes win over Fort Wayne, when they were able to put up 107 points, including 66 (!) in the second half. They shot 61 percent from the field and 54 percent from beyond the arc. The scarlet and gray put on a clinic on both ends of the floor. While C.J. Jackson scored a career-high 25 points, it was true freshman Jaedon LeDee that had the most impressive stat line in his season debut. He only took two shots, making both, but somehow finished with 16 points. It was his 12-of-14 stat line from the free-throw line that made that look so strange.
Through two games, the scarlet and gray have shot 52 percent from the field and 47 percent from long distance while holding their opponent’s to shoot just 30 percent from the floor and a dismal 22 percent from three-point range. Just two games into his college career, true freshman Luther Muhammad has already proven that he can be a defensive stopper. Add in the fact that he’s averaging 11.5 points and you could say he will have a bright future in the scarlet and gray.
Ohio State is young, but through two games, they have shown plenty of promise. Their defense has been impressive and they share the ball offensively, with five players averaging at least 11 points per game.
The Buckeyes still have plenty of questions surrounding their squad, but I think it’s safe to say that Holtmann will get the best out of not only the team but each player. If last season didn’t prove it already: The future is bright for Ohio State on the hardwood.
- Three of which are starters. [↩]