Ohio State head coach Thad Matta had seen just about enough.
The Buckeyes had just lost their Big Ten opener to Iowa and were hosting Illinois back on Jan. 3. The Illini were scorching the nets and led Ohio State by eight points with just over four minutes to go in the first half. The Buckeyes looked like they could be headed for an 0-2 start in league play.
But Matta made a defensive switch, going from a 2-3 zone that had been his team's primary defense for most of the season to the more traditional man-to-man that had been so effective in previous seasons.
Ohio State hasn't really looked back since.
The Buckeyes rallied to rout Illinois in that game and since the switch to man-to-man full time have gone 6-2. They are currently one of five teams that sits at 6-3 in the Big Ten, two games behind league-leading Wisconsin in the loss column.
"I like the strides we're making with the man-to-man," Matta said Monday on the Big Ten coaches teleconference. "I liked early our zone, but right now I'm liking what we're doing defensively just in terms of guys getting an understanding of what we're attempting to take away. I think our ball screen defense is getting better in terms of rotations and our bigs are getting better at being active."
In those eight games since the full-time switch to man, the Buckeyes have allowed more than 70 points only twice — against Minnesota in an overtime win and in a road loss to Iowa.
Ohio State has allowed its opponents to shoot just 42 percent from the floor in those eight games and 34 percent from behind the 3-point line. Just two teams — Iowa and Indiana — have shot over 50 percent from the floor against the Buckeyes since the switch.
The transition has seemed easy. That's likely because Matta said even when Ohio State was strictly a zone team, it practiced man-to-man for roughly 45 minutes every day in practice. There are also a couple of similar characteristics between the two defenses.
"In terms of playing zone, when the ball moves via dribble or pass five guys have to shift," Matta said. "I think that's the same concept you want defensively is five guys connected out there in terms of — be it on the bounce, be it on the pass, be it on a post feed — everybody is shifting."
When Matta looks back on the season, he may want to thank the Illini. Had they not shot lights out against the Buckeyes in the first half of their meeting back at the beginning of January, the switch to man-to-man may not have been made.
Luckily for Ohio State, it was, though. And the Buckeyes are playing their best basketball of the season as a result.
"When you go to play man-to-man it teaches you positioning a little bit better because you've got to be in help but you've got to know where your man is," Matta said. "From that perspective, I think it's been pretty good for us."
