Back in October, at Ohio State’s annual ‘Buckeyes on the Blacktop' event, Jae’Sean Tate grabbed a microphone to address the crowd. Ohio State's sophomore forward and de-facto team captain revealed a sarcastic response when asked what he felt was the biggest improvement he had personally made in the offseason.
“I’m a shooter now,” Tate said that night, flashing a giant smile. “I might be the best shooter on the team.”
When Thad Matta was made aware of Tate’s comment weeks later, the Buckeyes’ head coach offered up a facetious response of his own.
“He’s the second best, behind only me,” Matta joked.
| Player | 3FGM | 3FGA | PCT. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jae'Sean Tate | 8 | 16 | 50.0 |
| Kam Williams | 9 | 24 | 37.5 |
| Marc Loving | 17 | 47 | 36.2 |
| Austin Grandstaff | 12 | 35 | 34.3 |
| JaQuan Lyle | 8 | 28 | 28.6 |
| A.J. Harris | 2 | 7 | 28.6 |
| Keita Bates-Diop | 9 | 33 | 27.3 |
| TOTALS | 65 | 193 | 33.7 |
Had Matta been told Tate would actually be his team's best shooter nine games into the season, though, he likely would have laughed even more. It’s not necessarily a knock on Tate, but it just seemed a little farfetched to think the guy who made a total of three 3-pointers all of last season would be Ohio State’s best 3-point shooter, percentage wise, through the first nine games of this year. Especially on this team, one that features a handful of capable long range shooters.
That's exactly what has happened, though, as the Buckeyes have struggled so far early in the year shooting the ball. As a team, Ohio State ranked just 184th nationally and 11th in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage heading into Monday’s games; the Buckeyes have made only 33.7 percent of their attempts from downtown this season. By comparison, Ohio State made 37 percent of its 3-pointers a year ago.
The Buckeyes are taking more 3s — roughly three per game (21.4 per game this season, 18.2 last year) — and are essentially making the same number (7.2 this season, 6.8 last year). Based on the numbers, if Ohio State were to be shooting the same percentage from deep as it did last year, the team would be averaging roughly 4.5 more points per game.
Tate has attempted the fewest number of 3s among those who will be mentioned in this story — he has taken just 16 this season — but his 50-percent clip is by far the best on the team through nine games.
No other player on the roster is shooting higher than 38 percent from downtown. Kam Willams (9 for 24, 37.5 percent); Marc Loving (17 for 47, 36.2 percent); and Austin Grandstaff (12 for 35, 34.3 percent) are all next in line, but all three are shooting below what they’re capable of shooting.
The biggest struggles, though, have come from freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle and sophomore wing Keita Bates-Diop. Lyle has made just 8 of 28 attempts (28.6 percent) from downtown while Bates-Diop has only converted on 9 of 33 tries (27.3 percent).
Just nine games into his college career, the jury is still out on Lyle's shooting ability. He could simply be going through a slump to start things off or this might just be what he is as a shooter; it's too early to tell. Grandstaff, also a freshman, began the year shooting the 3 at a better clip (made 7 of his first 14 attempts over first four games of the year) and just seems to be in a mini-slump over the last few outings. There doesn’t seem to be much to worry about there. He's a big-time shooter and should be able to right the ship moving forward.
The bigger concern lies with Loving and Bates-Diop. Loving has been the Buckeyes’ best player so far — averaging nearly 17 points and seven rebounds per game — but he has struggled shooting the ball over the last three games, connecting on just 4 of his last 16 tries from deep. Bates-Diop has also had a tough time in the last three games, making just 1 of his last 9 tries from downtown. Both Bates-Diop and Loving shot it better than 46 percent from behind the 3-point line last season.
Perhaps no game was bigger proof of Ohio State’s shooting struggles than its 75-55 loss Saturday at UConn, where Loving, Bates-Diop and Lyle combined to go 0 for 11 from 3.
The hope for the Buckeyes, obviously, is things return to the norm and they start shooting it better as the season progresses. If not, Ohio State's lack of success in the non-conference will continue once Big Ten play arrives.
