Scarlet and Game
Fansided

Ohio State basketball takes on tough Rutgers team

By Zack Hochberg

Purdue guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles against Ohio State Duane Washington Jr. (4) during the first half of an NCAA men's basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.Bkc Purdue Vs Ohio State
Purdue guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles against Ohio State Duane Washington Jr. (4) during the first half of an NCAA men's basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.Bkc Purdue Vs Ohio State /
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The Ohio State basketball team takes on a really tough Rutgers team today.


Game Info

#23 Ohio State (6-1, 0-1) vs. #11 Rutgers (6-0, 2-0)

Value City Arena, Columbus, OH

Wednesday, December 23rd, 4:30 PM EST, BTN

Injury Report

Rutgers

Mawot Mag F (Questionable), Clifford Omoruyi C (Questionable), Caleb McConnell G (Out).

Ohio State

Ibrahima Diallo C (Questionable), Seth Towns F (Out).

Preview

The Ohio State basketball team will face the most formidable challenge of their young season this afternoon as they take on 11th ranked Rutgers. The Buckeyes are coming off a solid 77-70 victory over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, while Rutgers is coming off a 91-88 win over 13th ranked Illinois on Sunday.

The Buckeyes will have to contain Ron Harper Jr. if they want to have a chance in this ball game. Harper is leading the scoring attack for Rutgers, averaging 24 points to go along with 7.3 rebounds. E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington Jr. lead the Buckeyes offensive attack, both averaging over 14 points per game.

According to Kenpom.com, the Buckeyes rank top-10 in offense in the entire NCAA, even though C.J. Walker has had issues getting himself going, averaging only 11.7 points and 4.4 assists. In addition to E.J. Liddell, the Buckeyes could see a huge game from Justice Sueing. Both he and Liddell can impose significant issues to the Scarlet Knights’ defense.

Ohio State loves half-court offense. They currently have an adjusted tempo 67.2, which is 326th in the country. If Ohio State can force Rutgers to play slow-tempo basketball and keep the game in the 60-70 point range, this game could easily move into the Buckeyes favor.

Rutgers will need to keep Ohio State off the free throw line. The Buckeyes are an excellent free throw shooting team, knocking down 77% of their free throws. If the Buckeyes lead late, fouling either Duane Washington Jr. or C.J. Walker, who have combined to miss two free throws all season, is essentially a death wish.

The Buckeyes are looking to continue what has been a fairly impressive season, they’ve only lost one game at the hands of Purdue while Liddell was injured. Liddell could play a massive role in Ohio State’s defensive plan for Harper; if Liddell can slow down Harper, the Buckeyes could come up with an enormous win on home-court.

Next. Who should start at RB vs. Clemson?. dark

Prediction

Ohio State 71, Rutgers 69

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