In Columbus, it certainly doesn't feel like basketball season quite yet.
But while the Ohio State football team is preparing for a road game against No. 25 Minnesota on Saturday, the Buckeye basketball squad will begin its 2014-15 campaign 7 p.m. tonight at the Schottenstein Center against UMass-Lowell.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMass-Lowell (0-0) | Schottenstein Center | 7 p.m. | BTN+ |
A year after an up-and-down 25-10 season, Ohio State is looking to get back to where it was in previous years.
The Buckeyes failed to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in five seasons last year under coach Thad Matta after falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament to in-state foe Dayton. Ohio State began last season with 15-straight wins and soared to as high as No. 3 in the country before going 10-10 over the season's final 20 games.
The Buckeyes will have a significantly different look this year, though.
Gone are the likes of four-year contributors Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr. Last year's leading scorer, LaQuinton Ross, is also gone.
Ohio State features a unique roster of six seniors and five freshmen. The only player not in the senior or freshman class is sophomore Marc Loving.
It's certainly an interesting dynamic for Matta, but the 11th-year coach and his team are more than excited to get the year underway.
"We're very excited to get the season going on Friday," Loving said Wednesday. "We feel like we've been working pretty hard for this moment and we're looking forward to getting out and playing against some different guys because we've been going up against each other for a pretty long time."
Opponent Breakdown
So, what's a UMass-Lowell, you ask?
Well, the River Hawks will come to Columbus tonight in their second season at the Division I level out of the America East Conference — usually one of the stronger mid-major leagues.
UMass-Lowell is coming off a 10-18 year where it finished 8-8 in league play. The River Hawks lost all but five players from last season's team, though, and feature eight freshmen on their roster — two of which will redshirt, according to the Lowell-Sun.
The top two returning scorers for UMass-Lowell are guards Chad Holley (10.3 points per game) and D.J. Mlachnik (7.8 ppg.). The River Hawks are also significantly outsized by the Buckeyes, as the only player on their roster over 6-foot-6 — the 6-foot-8 freshman Dontavious Smith — is one of the players who will redshirt this season.
What might be the only hope for UMass-Lowell to keep this game competitive is the fact it's the season-opener for both teams. Because of that, there is obviously no film from this season for the Buckeyes to prepare for. They only have last year's tape to go off of and that's something that's a slight concern for Matta and his staff.
"We don't know a ton about UMass-Lowell; everything is coming off last year's film. We've got, I think, a pretty good gauge of what they're gonna try to do defensively, what they're gonna try to do offensively," Matta said. "... With that said, it's a little bit scary going into the game because you're approaching it and they could be doing something completely different."
Buckeye Breakdown
This game will almost certainly be used by Ohio State as a tune-up for Tuesday's matchup with a more formidable opponent, Marquette.
Ohio State will have a significant size advantage against the River Hawks, so expect to see a heavy dose of inside play from Buckeye big men Amir Williams, Trey McDonald and Anthony Lee.
The Buckeyes will also likely display their new-look 2-3 zone defense, one that held Division II Walsh to a dismal 23 percent shooting from the floor and a 2-for-24 effort from 3-point range in Sunday's exhibition.
Without Craft, Shannon Scott takes over full-time duties at point guard as Ohio State will look to push the pace offensively with the more aggressive Scott running the show.
The Buckeyes have also added a dynamic freshman class this season, headlined by five-star recruit D'Angelo Russell. The 6-foot-5 guard out of Louisville is a highly-skilled offensive player who Matta has said impressed him with his high-level passing ability as much as his scoring ability.
It's certainly a different-looking Ohio State team than in previous years. The Buckeyes have length and athleticism like they haven't had in the past. Matta used 10 guys all within the first eight minutes of Sunday's exhibition, so it will be interesting how the rotation plays out.
It should be compelling to see how they match up against someone else, despite the significant talent advantage. Ohio State hasn't played anyone yet outside of a secret scrimmage against West Virginia in and Sunday's exhibition against Walsh.
"We really dissected the film more than we have of an exhibition game and tried to point out the little details that maybe we didn't do as well as we needed to and still were successful, saying 'This isn't going to work Friday,' Matta said. "We've got to be sharper, we've got to have a better understanding of if you're supposed to be in the corner and you stop on the wing, that messes up a lot of things."
How It'll Play Out
In reality, this game shouldn't be very close.
Ohio State is expected to compete at the top of the Big Ten while UMass-Lowell was picked to finish last in its league. It will be a good way for the Buckeyes to work out a few kinks as they prepare for Marquette on Tuesday.
Much like Ohio State's exhibition with Walsh, expect the Buckeyes to start the game out strong and somewhat coast in the second half as Matta will try to find a rotation he's comfortable with. Matta is also, obviously, looking to correct some of the things he felt the Buckeyes did wrong against the Cavaliers.
"We really dissected the film more than we probably have of an exhibition," Matta said. "Tried to point out the little details that maybe we didn't do as well as we needed to and still were successful, but saying, 'This isn't going to work Friday.'"
Ohio State is 10-0 in season-openers under Matta. Don't expect that to change tonight.
