Ohio State hosts top-ranked Michigan State later this afternoon giving the basketball Buckeyes a chance to deliver the first signature win of the Chris Holtmann era if they can pull a rather obese rabbit out of their hat.
Entering the game as 8.5-point underdogs, it feels like the upstart Buckeyes have at least a puncher's chance though it'll only happen if every rotational guy balls out including senior Jae'Sean Tate.
A Swiss Army knife of sorts throughout his Buckeye career, Tate's rugged style sets the tone for the team's collective energy and with Keita Bates-Diop enjoying a healthy, dominant season-to-date, the duo serves as the cornerstone of the program's rebirth under Holtmann.
Despite the improved "want to" seen from Holtmann's squad in comparison to the lethargic effort turned in from the incomparable Thad Matta's final group, its best win is still a 71-62 decision over a Michigan outfit ranked 32nd by KenPom.
Meanwhile, the loss column features a blowout to Gonzaga (current AP No. 19), an 86-72 decision at the hands of current AP No. 12 North Carolina and defeats to now-No. 25 Clemson and No. 29 Butler after the Buckeyes had double-digit leads in each game.
As such, you can bet Tate and company are focused on bringing their best efforts to the table against a Michigan State squad that just got done waxing Maryland by 30 in the Breslin Center.
A season ago, Tate delivered more often than not against ranked teams.
| DATE | OPPONENT | MIN | FGM / FGA | FG% | REB | AST | STL | PF | TO | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.30.16 | #6 VIRGINIA | 30 | 5/9 | .556 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| 12.17.16 | #2 UCLA | 34 | 7/13 | .538 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 15 |
| 1.5.17 | #20 PURDUE | 31 | 8/14 | .571 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 1.12.17 | #18 WISCONSIN | 26 | 3/7 | .429 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 1.31.17 | #17 MARYLAND | 35 | 7/10 | .700 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 2.11.17 | #21 MARYLAND | 34 | 7/16 | .438 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 20 |
| 2.23.17 | #16 WISCONSIN | 28 | 6/12 | .500 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| TOTALS | VS RANKED | 31.1 | 43/81 | .531 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 15.6 |
| TOTALS | FULL SEASON | 31.9 | 182/333 | .547 | 6.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 14.3 |
The Pickerington Central product went for 20 points twice against Maryland and aside from a 10-point outing against Wisconsin, Tate scored no less than 14 points which was on par with his team leading season average of 14.3. He did so on the strength of typically solid shooting as he connected on at least 50% of his field goal attempts in five of seven games against ranked opponents.
Even more impressive especially when you consider his style of play and the fact Ohio State needed him to try and do more than he was capable of last season without Bates-Diop available to help, Tate kept his turnovers at two or less in six of seven games.
Tate wasn't as active on the glass against ranked teams as you might've thought as he reached or exceeded his season average of 6.4 per game just twice in those seven outings against ranked foes. Still the 5.3 rips against ranked teams was respectable considering the uptick in talent he faced combined with the reality he was the only Power 5 conference player 6-foot-4 or shorter to average more than six rebounds per game over the full season.
| DATE | OPPONENT | MIN | FGM / FGA | FG% | REB | AST | STL | PF | TO | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.24.17 | #17 GONZAGA | 28 | 5/11 | .455 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| 12.23.17 | #5 N. CAROLINA | 31 | 4/11 | .364 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| TOTALS | VS RANKED | 29.5 | 9/22 | .409 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 10.5 |
| TOTALS | SEASON-TO-DATE | 29.8 | 87/152 | .572 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 12.9 |
Despite his solid big game mojo from a year ago, Tate hasn't quite had the magic touch in what is obviously a small sample size so far this season.
In the lopsided loss to Gonzaga out in Portland, Oregon as part of the PK-80 Invitational, Tate missed a shot, turned it over once and picked up two fouls 37 seconds apart over the final 7:48 as the Zags closed the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 44-31 lead and never looked back.
Overall, Tate recorded 12 points but only three of those came with the game remotely in doubt. To be clear, the blowout was a total team failure but Tate would tell you it wasn't his best night.
Two days before Christmas as the Buckeyes took on North Carolina down in New Orleans as part of the CBS Sports Classic, Tate again got off to a slow start missing four of five shots with two turnovers and two fouls as the Tar Heels built a 41-27 lead at the half.
Tate did grab three boards and drop two dimes in the opening half but again, he'd tell you he needed to give more for Ohio State to have any chance of pulling an upset.
Jae'Sean Tate is averaging 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games versus MSU. (Mike Carter-USA TODAY)
Having dug themselves a 14 point hole, the Buckeyes would get no closer than to within nine points as Roy Williams' squeaky clean program left with an 86-72 win. Tate finished with nine points, nine boards and six assists before fouling out with less than a minute left in regulation.
With those outings in the rear view mirror, Tate looks to deliver at both ends of the floor later today against a ridiculously talented Michigan State squad.
Not only will Holtmann likely need him to deliver close to 20 points with close to 10 boards while keeping his turnovers at two or lower, Tate must also stay out of foul trouble while showing extreme versatility at the defensive end where he might be called upon to guard up to four different positions.
Even if you consider that defensive assignment a bit of a stretch, he'll still likely end up matching up with the likes of Miles Bridges (16.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Nick Ward (15.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Joshua Langford (13.7 ppg, 46% 3FG) among others from time to time as the Spartans come at the Buckeyes in waves.
It will obviously take more than just a big game from Tate to upset Tom Izzo's juggernaut but it's a safe bet the Buckeyes won't have any shot at all to pull off the unthinkable without a Herculean effort from the kid who leaves it all on the floor every night.
