Ohio State came one shot away from losing to Bucknell on Saturday.
The Bison went for the win, but couldn't find an open 3-pointer, which led to a secondary option heaving a contested triple over the outstretched hands of Andre Wesson, which allowed the Buckeyes to escape with a 73-71 win. Having barely come away with the win, Ohio State isn't in any hurry for a repeat of that game, though it's certainly more than willing to learn from the near-loss performance.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State (4-8) | Schottenstein Center | 7 p.m. | BTN |
"At the end of two nights ago, we let our foot off the gas," C.J. Jackson said on Monday. "And against a good team like Bucknell, that gets you in trouble there. They make shots and make tough shots. We have to learn to be better, and I think we learned our lesson. Obviously, it didn't hurt us in the loss column, but we definitely learned our lesson as far as just keeping out foot on the gas, continuing to be aggressive offensively and defensively."
Having won three games in a row following its only loss of the season, a 10-point defeat to Syracuse, No. 15 Ohio State will have a chance to move to double-digit wins Tuesday night when it takes on Youngstown State. The game between the Buckeyes (9-1) and Penguins (4-8) will tip off at 7 p.m.
Unlike Bucknell, which has made the NCAA tournament the past two season, Youngstown State isn't a particularly threatening mid-major opponent. The game allows for Ohio State to get back on track after a matchup filled with both positive and negatives.
"Those are great learning opportunities, and thank God it happened after a win," Chris Holtmann said. "But if you can really appreciate that experience and learn from it, then it'll be well worthwhile. That's why you schedule games like that. Because they really, really challenge us in a lot of areas."
Opponents Preview
Twelve games into the season, Youngstown State has just four wins and is ranked No. 322 of 353 in the nation in KenPom. Simply put, the Penguins don't have a lot going for them.
Their top scorer, 6-foot-5, 216-pound wing Garrett Covington, puts up just 12.8 points per game and is the only player who averages double-digit points. Four other players average between 8.5 and 9.9 points per game, highlighting how many different people get involved on offense. Three of the team's top four scorers have primarily come off the bench this season, though two of them have shot worse than 34 percent from the field.
"Deep, interesting team, in terms of they have some guys coming off the bench and starting that have both had really explosive night offensively," Holtmann said. "They have a lot of different weapons. (Jerrod Calhoun is) in his second year there putting that program together, and they have had some really explosive offensive outputs. Athletic bunch."
This season, the Penguins have mainly played high-scoring contests, with Youngstown State's 12 opponents this season have hit 46.3 percent of their shots, while the Penguins have made just 41.6 percent. They also have turned the ball over more frequently than the opposition.
The only category in which Youngstown State has had a notable advantage this season is in the rebounding department, where it has a 4.5-rebound-per-game edge on its opponents. Naz Bohannon, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward, leads the team with 9.8 rebounds per game.
Ohio State preview
Though the Buckeyes have won their past three games, they haven't been the most convincing victories.
They trailed both Bucknell and Illinois in the second half and had moments in which the game seemed out of their control. In each game, Ohio State's opponents opened the second half with scoring runs that the Buckeyes had to battle back from. Holtmann wasn't overly concerned about the recent trend, saying on Monday that it hasn't been a concern for more than the past couple games.
When Ohio State has managed to turn the games around and have spurts of impressive play, Holtmann said he has seen similar positives to last year's team.
"A connectedness defensively, sharing the ball offensively and we play with a certain edge to us and certainly an effort level that's kind of an expectation," Holtmann said. "I think all those things are consistent with when we play well."
Kaleb Wesson will have a chance to take advantage of an undersized Youngstown State frontcourt Tuesday night. On Saturday, he dropped 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Holtmann said he would like to see Wesson cut down on his turnovers. Though he is an impressive passer, he has been fairly careless with the ball, which has led to turnovers in each of the past three games. He had four giveaways on Saturday.
How it plays out
Unless Youngstown State shoots better than it has at any point this season, Ohio State shouldn't have too much trouble pulling out its 10th win of the season.
The Buckeyes have a size and length advantage, along with the athleticism edge, which should help shut down the Penguins.
Prediction: Ohio State 88, Youngstown State 62
