Indiana will look to rebound from an 86-70 blowout loss at Nebraska when it hosts Ohio State on Saturday evening. The Buckeyes are 12-2 general and 2-1 in Large Ten play.
Saturday’s sport will tip at 8 p.m. ET on FOX:
Indiana’s second street sport of the season was a nightmare because the Hoosiers turned it over 19 occasions and have been crushed soundly by Nebraska on Wednesday evening at Pinnacle Financial institution Area.
The Hoosiers now return dwelling for a matchup with Ohio State, which is presently the fifth-best crew within the Large Ten in keeping with KenPom. After a disappointing 2022-23 season, which noticed the Buckeyes end 16-19, Chris Holtmann has righted the ship in Columbus by means of 14 video games.
If Indiana goes to remain within the combine within the Large Ten race, the Hoosiers need to win their dwelling video games. Whereas they’ll probably be an underdog on Saturday, this is a chance to place Wednesday’s debacle within the rearview mirror shortly.
MEET THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State frequently goes eight deep, with only one freshman within the common rotation in convention video games.
Sophomore level guard Bruce Thornton leads Ohio State in scoring, assists, free throw makes an attempt, steals and minutes performed. The Georgia native averages a team-high 17.4 factors on 45.1 capturing from the sphere. Thornton is second on the crew in made 3-pointers (28) and shoots 82.9 % from the free-throw line.
Fellow sophomore Roddy Gayle Jr. emerged late final season for the Buckeyes and has carried his sturdy play into his second season. Gayle Jr. averages 14.9 factors and is a stable athlete who can end on the rim or knock down perimeter pictures. Gayle Jr. is hitting 39.5 % of his 3s (43 makes an attempt) however could be turnover-prone. Gayle Jr. is second on Ohio State in assists with 47 however has dedicated 40 turnovers.
Penn State switch Evan Mahaffey, an Ohio native, begins on the three, with Minnesota switch Jamison Battle on the 4.
Mahaffey, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, isn’t a lot of an offensive menace however has size, performs with a ton of power, and may defend.
Battle, a fifth-year wing with no scarcity of Large Ten expertise, is wholesome after battling accidents final season in Minneapolis. Battle is connecting on three 3-pointers per sport and is capturing 44.7 %. He’s tied with Gayle Jr. for second in scoring on the roster with 14.9 factors per sport.
Sophomore Felix Okpara begins on the 5, with senior Zed Key because the backup. Okpara is 6-foot-11 and provides Ohio State a official submit defender. He’s already erased 29 pictures in 13 video games. The Lagos, Nigeria native additionally leads the Buckeyes in rebounding at 6.5 per sport.
Secret’s fourth on the crew in scoring at 9.1 factors per sport and second in rebounding at 5.6 per sport regardless of enjoying simply 19.1 minutes. Secret’s capturing 61.1 % on 2s and excels regardless of standing 6-foot-8 as a submit participant.
Baylor switch Dale Bonner performs backup minutes at each guard positions. In 14 video games, Bonner has knocked down 14 triples and averages six factors in 21.4 minutes.
Freshman Scotty Middleton is a 6-foot-7 wing with a ton of promise. He’s capturing 41.1 % on 3s and averages 4.6 factors in 17.2 minutes off the bench.
TEMPO-FREE PREVIEW
All stats are by means of Thursday’s sport and by way of KenPom.com.
Ohio State has a number of strengths that ought to have Indiana involved getting into Saturday’s sport.
The Buckeyes aren’t a high-volume 3-point capturing crew however are connecting at a 37.9 % clip and making 8.5 triples per sport. It received’t be shocking to see Ohio State take extra 3s than typical at Meeting Corridor, as these seems will probably be out there.
Ohio State can also be an elite offensive-rebounding crew. The Buckeyes are grabbing 35.8 % of their missed pictures. Indiana has improved on the defensive glass, however limiting second-chance alternatives can be pivotal.
The Buckeyes additionally defend comparatively nicely with out fouling, as their opponents have a free throw fee (FTA/FGA) of simply 28.2 %, the 81st greatest within the nation. It’ll be important for Indiana to get beauty within the paint and end or get to the road to maintain up with Ohio State’s high-scoring offense (79.1 factors per sport).
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
The KenPom projection is Ohio State by three with a 37 % likelihood of an Indiana victory. The Hoosiers have fallen to No. 93 in Pomeroy’s newest rankings after starting the season at No. 49.
After Mike Woodson referred to as the play of Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway “terrible” on Wednesday at Nebraska, the Hoosiers want extra from each guys on Saturday and shifting ahead. Thornton can management the sport from the purpose guard place and Johnson must be disruptive. Galloway additionally must put strain on Gayle Jr. and pressure him into robust pictures or turnovers by making use of strain. Ohio State is a guard-driven crew, and Indiana’s guards have to be way more aggressive than they have been within the final sport.
The Hoosiers additionally need to do a a lot better job of taking good care of the ball after 19 turnovers in Lincoln changed into 27 Nebraska factors. Whereas it was an uncharacteristic efficiency, Woodson wants it to be a one-off incidence reasonably than an issue shifting ahead.
Indiana can have a bonus within the submit with Ware and Reneau and what needs to be a wonderful crowd on a Saturday evening at Meeting Corridor. The Buckeyes have already dropped a Large Ten street sport by three at Penn State. If Indiana can put collectively a stable 40 minutes, this can be a winnable sport for the Hoosiers.
Filed to: Ohio State Buckeyes
