Ohio State Basketball shows flaws in win vs. Cleveland State

The Ohio State basketball team had to scratch and claw for everything they could get today, surviving Cleveland State 67-61. Even though they won, they have serious flaws they have to fix.

The Ohio State basketball team remains undefeated after beating Cleveland State 67-61. A win is a win, and no one should ever apologize for winning. Even so, the Buckeyes showed flaws that can cost them in some games in the near future if they aren’t fixed.

First, we’ll start with the good. Zed Key was fantastic. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and made 4-5 from the field. His defense though was the most impressive part of his game today. He ended up with 3 blocks, which is not something he’s known for doing.

C.J. Walker also stepped up. He had 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. His shooting was super efficient, but he made some big shots when it mattered. He also did a good job of handling the ball at the end of the game when Cleveland State brought out their press.

The bad is what should concern Buckeye fans severely though. We found out that E.J. Liddell is out at least another week with Mono. Mono is something that can linger and wipes people out, so they could be without him much longer.

The biggest problem with Liddell being out is that the Buckeyes struggled mightily to score in the half-court. They could not execute offense consistently all game long. Their best offensive play was to get to the free-throw line. Converting free throws at the end of the game was an issue too though.

If it wasn’t for the 19 free throws the Buckeyes made, they would have lost this game. They have to find a way to score more effectively without Liddell in the half-court. If they can’t, they’re going to lose their next two games to Purdue and North Carolina.

A win is the most important thing, and that’s what Ohio State was able to achieve. Improvement still needs to come though.