The first game of the Chris Holtmann era has come and gone, as Ohio State collected a relatively easy victory over Robert Morris on Friday night.
The page has been turned quickly, however, as the Buckeyes get set to play their second game in three days with Radford coming to town.
With such a short turnaround to begin the season, Holtmann said he wants his team to focus more on themselves than anything else.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radford University (1-0) | Value City Arena | 2:30 p.m. | BTNPlus |
"At this point in the year, you are trying to self-scout and self-evaluate as much as anything," Holtmann said after the Buckeyes' 95-64 win over Robert Morris. "We have an opponent coming in that is tough and aggressive and physical, but right now, it is prepare for Radford and do a great job in terms of our self-scout and having a better understanding of how we want to do things."
Opponent Breakdown
The Highlanders are coming off of a 72-63 victory in their season opener against Georgia Southwestern and are ranked No. 197 in Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistical ratings.
Unlike Robert Morris, which returned just three scholarship players from last season, Radford is much more experienced. The Highlanders return all five starters from a season ago, in which they finished 14-18 and 8-10 in the Big South.
Radford will also likely give Ohio State more competition on the boards. The Buckeyes outrebounded Robert Morris 51-23 in the season opener, including 16 offensive rebounds. The Highlanders, however, led the Big South in rebounding margin last season, edging opponents by an average of 4.7 boards per game.
The Highlanders' top returning scorer from a season ago, Ed Polite Jr., led Radford to its first win of the season, posting a double-double. He dropped in 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Georgia Southwestern from his forward position. Redshirt freshman guard Carlik Jones, a Cincinnati native, led Radford in scoring against GSW with 15 points off the bench.
Buckeye Breakdown
While Ohio State won by 31 in the first game of the Holtmann era, it was far from a perfect performance against the Colonials.
The Buckeyes turned the ball over 19 times in the win, which resulted in 18 points for Robert Morris. Holtmann admitted after the game that he probably didn't appreciate the moment of his first win enough, partially because of the turnovers his team committed.
"I dont do a good job of that, my wife reminds me of that a lot," Holtmann said when asked about enjoying the moment. "I will do better at some point, but the 19 turnovers is my overriding thought right now."
While the turnovers were largely on Holtmann's mind, there were plenty of positives to take from Ohio State's first win of the season, including freshman Musa Jallow. Jallow, who is just 17 years old, tallied 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Buckeyes in his first college game, including a pair of steals leading to breakaway dunks.
His performance did not come as a surprise to Holtmann, who said Jallow's practice habits carried over to the season-opener against Robert Morris.
"Musa played tonight like he has practiced for us. He has had some very good moments," Holtmann said. "He is 17 years old, but he has a maturity to him and he has been able to make threes as well as be a guy that defensively, we can rely on."
Fellow freshman Kaleb Wesson added 13 points and seven rebounds in his Ohio State debut, as the Buckeyes went with a nine-man rotation in the season opener.
How It Will Play Out
Continuity is something Radford has as the Highlanders return all five starters from a season ago. The Buckeyes played well in the season opener, but are still tinkering with lineups, something Holtmann has said will be a fluid situation all season.
The Highlanders are long and athletic at the forward spots, but still don't have overwhelming size in the post. Polite Jr. is the player to watch for Radford, as he brings experience and size to the game.
This game should be a little closer than the Robert Morris matchup, but Ohio State has the clear advantage in talent and size. Look for the Highlanders' experience to get them off to a solid start, but for the Buckeyes' talent to ultimately help them pull away.
Prediction: Ohio State 80, Radford 63
