For the first time in about a year, Ohio State basketball will be in the national spotlight. Sort of.
The Buckeyes are set to play in the inaugural PK80 Invitational on Thursday against No. 17-ranked Gonzaga, their first game in a national tournament since appearing in the 2014-15 NCAA Tournament.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 17 Gonzaga (3-0) | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Midnight | ESPN2 |
The matchup against the Bulldogs kicks off a stretch of six games in 12 days for Ohio State. Five of those games, three of which come in the PK80 Invitational, are guaranteed to come against teams that are nationally ranked or come from major conferences.
First-year Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said the upcoming stretch is unlike any he has faced in his time as a college basketball coach.
"It is completely unlike anything I have ever experienced. It is something we are going to have to be mindful with, with rest and sleep," Holtmann said. "It will be interesting to see the teams that come out of Portland and how they respond to this stretch once they come back."
Holtmann was not the head coach of Ohio State when the program agreed to appear in the early-season tournament, but was the head coach at Butler when his former team agreed to play in the PK80. Holtmann said the tournament, followed by games against Clemson, Wisconsin and Michigan, has its positives and negatives.
"To play a quality program that is extremely well-coached like Gonzaga, and to be a part of a tournament that is this prestigious, really makes a lot of sense," Holtmann said. "You do worry about fatigue on the back end, so there are some things you think about and wonder if it's really going to be worth it."
Prior to tip against Gonzaga, Holtmann said the Buckeyes will have a Thanksgiving meal with family and friends that are making the trip west. On Ohio State's day off on Saturday in between games, Holtmann said there is a good chance his team and coaching staff will take in the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game, which will kick off at 9 a.m. local time in Portland.
The game against the Bulldogs will be the first time Ohio State has played a ranked team since Feb. 23, a game the Buckeyes won 83-73 over then-ranked No. 16 Wisconsin.
Opponent Breakdown
The Bulldogs, who return two starters from a team that challenged North Carolina for a national title last season, have opened up the 2017-18 season with three straight wins.
Guard Josh Perkins, one of the returning starters from last season, leads Gonzaga in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. Fellow returning starter Johnathan Williams also averages double digits in the scoring column, pouring in 11.0 points per game and grabbing 7.3 boards per contest.
Josh Perkins scored 13 points in last year's national title game loss to North Carolina. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Overall, the Bulldogs have boasted balanced scoring with all five starters and a sixth man all averaging double-digit scoring. A good portion of Gonzaga's offense has come from behind the three-point arc this season, as the Bulldogs are converting on 38.5 percent of their shots from long range. Eleven of Gonzaga's 30 made three-pointers have come from Perkins, who shot 39.9 percent from deep on last year's team.
Despite losing three starters from last year's squad that went 37-2, Holtmann said after scouting Gonzaga that he believes the Bulldogs could be poised for another deep postseason run.
"They are really disciplined and you can tell are a program that has won at a really high level for a number of years because they don't beat themselves. They are big, talented and well coached. They are one of the best basketball programs in the country," Holtmann said. "They are just really gifted. From what I have been able to see and watch, I think they could make another deep run in the tournament, I really do."
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few has led the Bulldog program since 1999, and was the coach the first and only time his program played the Buckeyes. The two teams met in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, which resulted in a 73-66 victory for Ohio State. The Buckeyes would go on to reach the Final Four that season before eventually falling to Kansas.
While history is on Ohio State's side, it will likely take a full team effort for the Buckeyes to pull off the upset to kick off the PK80. Senior forward Jae'Sean Tate said it is his and Keita Bates-Diop's job to make sure the team is locked in heading into the matchup with Gonzaga and the tournament as a whole.
"Me and Keita have to make sure that everybody knows this is a business trip," Tate said. "I feel confident as a team, everybody knows that. We have a task at hand. The most important thing is being focused mentally, because for (Gonzaga) it is pretty close for them as in fan wise. It's a business trip."
Buckeye Breakdown
Ohio State is off to a 4-0 start in Holtmann's first season in Columbus, much of which has been a smooth ride. The Buckeyes are winning games by an average of 21 points per contest, but that will almost certainly change with their upcoming schedule.
Holtmann's squad has yet to truly be tested this season, despite withstanding a late run from Texas Southern in their third game of the season.
Facing premier competition for the first time with a new staff, Holtmann expects Ohio State to face adversity at some point during the PK80 Invitational and into December. In those moments, Holtmann said he hopes the Buckeyes will revert back to their training, which has been focused more on themselves than their opponents so far this season.
"We are going to be aggressive and attack mode, but you don’t go into a stretch like this and say everything is going to go smoothly. You expect there to be some adversity. There are going to be times where we play really well and times where we really struggle," Holtmann said. "As much as anything, we’ve really tried to be process-driven in everything we’ve done. It means as much as anything that we are about daily growth and that is why self-evaluation and self-scouting is so important right now for our team."
Forward Ketia Bates-Diop leads Ohio State in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game.
Through four games, there hasn't been much to complain about, at least on paper if you're Ohio State. After turning the ball over 34 times in their first two games, the Buckeyes were able to limit their giveaways to just nine in a blowout win over Northeastern on Nov. 19. OSU is also shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor, despite discouraging numbers from three-point range (28.4 percent).
Heading into the PK80, Tate said he believes Ohio State's biggest area for improvement is on the defensive end.
"There have been stretches in the game where we are not in tune with each other, talking on defense," Tate said. "Our best thing is, take it one war at a time. At the end of the day, whoever wins the most wars wins the game."
Winning those battles, especially underneath will be crucial for the Buckeyes, who expect to have Micah Potter available for Thursday's game against Gonzaga. Potter suffered an ankle injury in the second half of the Northeastern victory, and while Holtmann said he could be limited in practice leading up to the PK80, he is expected to play against the Bulldogs.
How It Plays Out
Ohio State has played its first four games of the season with an energy that was rarely, if ever, seen a season ago, and while the opponents haven't exactly been the highest of quality, Tate said he has been blown away with the effort his teammates are playing with.
"It is mind-blowing how hard this team plays," Tate said after defeating Northeastern. "We are having fun out there. Every week, the games have gotten harder and harder. We are up for the task at hand."
The Buckeyes have had a tendency in recent years to play to the level of their competition. A season ago, Ohio State lost by just two to then-ranked No. 7 Virginia and defeated Wisconsin and Michigan State, both of which were NCAA Tournament teams.
Expect Ohio State to once again play with tremendous effort and intensity against Gonzaga, but expecting an upset win in its first true test of the season – against a team that nearly won a national title last season – is too much to ask just five games in.
Prediction: Gonzaga 81, Ohio State 73
