March has arrived, and Ohio State opens the month with a rematch against an opponent that pushed the Buckeyes to overtime at the start of January.
Malaki Branham announced his arrival with a 35-point explosion in the 87-79 Buckeye win over Nebraska on Jan. 2, and now he’ll try to help deliver Ohio State’s seventh consecutive victory against the Huskers at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The rematch at the Schottenstein Center was originally scheduled to take place back on Jan. 22, but was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Nebraska program.
| WHO | WHERE | WHEN | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska (8-21, 2-16 B1G) | Schottenstein Center | 7 p.m. | BTN |
Fred Hoiberg and company sit in last place in the Big Ten standings with just two wins in 18 conference games, but the Huskers picked one of those up in dominant fashion in their most recent game. Nebraska beat Penn State 93-70 on Sunday, and it would be an even bigger upset if the Huskers could pull off another road win in Columbus.
“Nebraska’s a really talented team, and what I recall is they can really score the ball, as they showed again last night at Penn State,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said Monday on 97.1 The Fan. “They’re a really gifted team offensively, and they’ve started to really defend at a much higher level. Good size, good length, they’ve got a first-round NBA pick (Bryce McGowens), some suggest a lottery pick as a freshman.”
Ohio State is coming off a deflating upset loss to Maryland in which the Terps blew the Buckeyes out by 15, but the scarlet and gray are in fourth place in the Big Ten standings with three winnable home games in front of them before the end of the regular season.
That stretch begins Tuesday, as Ohio State looks to finish the season strong with three games in six days in front of its home crowd.
What to Watch For
Duel between B1G’s best freshmen
With just a week of regular season Big Ten action left, it’s become increasingly clear who the top first-year talents are in the conference. This matchup will feature the Big Ten’s top two freshmen with Nebraska guard Bryce McGowens and Buckeye wing Malaki Branham going head-to-head for the second time. The pair combined to score 53 points the first time around, and another explosive performance for one – or both – of the two would not be surprising.
As for who will finish with the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award, Holtmann joked Monday that McGowens “won’t get my vote.”
Will Key play?
Update (5:19 p.m.): Zed Key will be unavailable for Ohio State against Nebraska.
Zed Key (ankle) will be unavailable for Ohio State against Nebraska, but Meechie Johnson will be able to play without his mask.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) March 1, 2022
Sophomore center Zed Key turned his ankle in the second half of Sunday’s road loss at Maryland, which could leave Ohio State without its starting five-man for Tuesday’s matchup. Kyle Young started the second half in place of Key even before the injury, and it seems likely the fifth-year veteran will fill the void in the frontcourt alongside E.J. Liddell against Nebraska.
“He got it pretty good. Zed’s a tough kid, so when he falls down and gets hurt, you know he’s injured because he’s got a pretty high pain tolerance and takes those things pretty easy,” Holtmann said. “When he went down, we knew it was pretty significant.”
Another shootout
The first time these two teams played, 166 total points were tallied before all was said and done. The rematch might track similarly. Nebraska’s scoring defense remains the worst in the conference by an eight-point margin, and the Huskers have allowed an average of 84.6 points to their last five opponents. Ohio State fell flat on offense against Maryland, but a second straight underwhelming game from both E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham would be something of a shock.
Three Important Buckeyes
Malaki Branham
Branham’s last performance against the Huskers put him on the map, and the freshman will want to put his last appearance behind him after a 4-for-13 shooting performance at Maryland. Branham won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 23.7 points per game against Indiana, Illinois and the Terps, and he’ll have another chance to display the rapid evolution of his game on Tuesday.
E.J. Liddell
Liddell tied his second-lowest scoring game of the season against Maryland, tallying just 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting, and the last five games have not been Liddell’s best work of the season. Liddell is averaging just 15.8 points per game at a 43.8 percent clip in that stretch, and his last time out against the Huskers was his worst offensive outing of the season, a 10-point game on 2-of-14 shooting. Liddell should have a better account of himself on Tuesday, especially if he’s made a full recovery from the flu he was fighting last week.
Kyle Young
If Key ends up sitting out with his ankle injury, Young will likely get the start and see even more minutes than usual for Ohio State. The 6-foot-8 forward has been more of a consistent scoring threat for the Buckeyes as of late, averaging 11 points on 62.5 percent shooting in his last four games. The Buckeyes will need that to continue down the stretch, and Young’s defense and rebounding will be vital if Key misses multiple games.
Three Important Huskers
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALONZO VERGE | G | 6-3 | 164 | 13.9 PPG, 5.1 APG |
| TREY MCGOWENS | G | 6-4 | 191 | 6.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG |
| BRYCE MCGOWENS | G | 6-7 | 179 | 16.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG |
| DERRICK WALKER | F | 6-9 | 239 | 9.2 PPG, 6 RPG |
| LAT MAYEN | F | 6-9 | 217 | 5.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG |
Bryce McGowens
Branham’s primary competition for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors has taken his game up another notch in the past 11 contests, in which McGowens has averaged 19.2 points and five boards for the Huskers. Six of those games have been 20-point outings for the 6-foot-7 freshman, and he’s fresh off a 25-point night against Penn State in which McGowens had his second best night of the season shooting the ball. McGowens had 18 points in the first matchup with the Buckeyes, although his 6-for-19 night from the floor was not his most efficient one.
Alonzo Verge
The third-year Arizona State transfer is the Huskers’ second-leading scorer with an average of 13.9 points per game, and he’s putting up closer to 16 points a night on 48 percent shooting in his last four appearances. Verge is also third in the conference in assists, averaging 5.1 per game to lead Nebraska. Verge had a quiet night with just six points on Jan. 2, but figures to be more of a factor the second time around.
Derrick Walker
With 15 points and 10 rebounds against Ohio State in the first meeting, Walker proved to be a force on the inside, and now the Buckeyes may be without one of their starting bigs. Walker is the Huskers’ third-leading scorer this season, averaging 9.2 points per game, and he’s hit double digits in five of his last eight appearances.
How It Plays Out
Line: Ohio State -15.5, O/U 152.5
While I expect to see plenty of points scored once again, I don’t anticipate there being a different result, as Ohio State should be able to send the Big Ten’s last-place team back to Lincoln without a win. The Buckeyes were coming off nearly a month-long layoff in the last matchup, but they’ve had plenty of recent games to get ready for this one.
Prediction: Ohio State 80, Nebraska 70
