Ohio State Football: Buckeyes are where they want to be
It appeared it would be a rebuilding year for the Ohio State basketball team but the Buckeyes are off to a hot start with a 12-1 record.
Ever since losing key players Keita Bates-Diop, Jae’Sean Tate, and Kam Williams from last year’s Ohio State basketball team, experts have had questions as to how good this Ohio State team was going to be this season.
Chris Holtmann and his Buckeyes squad definitely answered those questions to start off the 2018-2019 college basketball season going 12-1 with big wins over the likes of Cincinnati, Creighton and UCLA along with a 2-0 start in Big Ten play.
The major question many pundits had before the season began was where the offensive production was going to come from. Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate were their top two scorers a season ago and both of them obviously are vacant from this season’s edition of the Buckeyes. So who would step up on offense?
The immediate answer is Kaleb Wesson. He has improved from producing just over 10 points per game last season to scoring 16 points a game so far. The Buckeyes have clearly made it a point to try to play through the sophomore in the post this season.
With Wesson’s good size and passing ability he is hard to stop 1 on 1 and when doubled can be trusted to make the right pass to capable shooters on the outside for the Buckeyes.
One of those shooters is Luther Mohammed. The freshman currently leads Ohio State with a 43% shooting mark from beyond the arc, followed closely behind by C.J. Jackson who has shot 41% from long distance.
What Mohammed has really impressed me with though is his incredible energy and his defensive prowess. He leads the team with just over a steal a game on the season and has been a leader on that side of the ball for the Buckeyes.
More from Ohio State Basketball
- Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes conference schedule is set
- Ohio State basketball: Zed Key cleared for all basketball activities
- Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes land three-star in-state forward
- Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes draw UCLA in CBS Sports Classic
- How adding two new teams to Big Ten affects Ohio State basketball
Finally, the most important piece to this Buckeye team has been the graduate transfer from Wake Forest Keyshawn Woods. He averaged 12 points per game last season in one of the elite conferences in the country and is an all-purpose player for the Buckeyes.
Woods has been an invaluable leader coming off the bench for the Buckeyes, and while his 8.5 points per game and 3.5 assists per game aren’t eye-popping, they are quite showing of just the type of player he is.
His ability to come in for C.J. Jackson and run the offense with him on the bench has helped a relatively young Buckeye team immensely and it will continue to help them in the bulk of the conference season. Woods has seen the battles of the ACC so when there are times where the moment gets too big for the young Bucks, Holtmann will lean on Woods to come through in those types of moments.
Next. The pressure to win the Rose Bowl. dark
This Buckeye team is just getting started, and if they continue to get the team production that they have seen to start the season, you will be sure to see this team fighting for a Big Ten title come March.