Ohio State basketball: Justin Ahrens key to recent run

The Ohio State basketball team has now won five straight games and 8 of their last 9. Justin Ahrens has been a big reason why that has happened.

Shooting is a necessary skill in basketball today. Outside shooting opens up offenses to be more effective and keeps defenses on their toes. The Ohio State basketball team finally has a consistent sharpshooter this year, and now they are ranked fourth in the country.

That sharpshooter is Justin Ahrens. Ahrens is a junior and is playing the most minutes of his career right now. Ahrens is getting those minutes because of his prolific shooting. So far this season, Ahrens is shooting just a shade under 48% from the three-point line.

While he’s only averaging 7.2 points per game, the threat of his outside shot has opened up the Buckeyes’ offense. It has allowed E.J. Liddell to lead the team in scoring and Zed Key to be as effective as he has been in the post. Teams have to rush out to guard Ahrens and leaves those guys open down low.

Ahrens has started getting used to players closing out hard to him once he gets a pass. He now has a nice shot fake that he utilizes to make the defender fly by as he takes one dribble to the side and lets it fly. It’s a nice move that gets him a clean look.

Defense has been the biggest reason why Ahrens hadn’t seen the court much before this season. He is slow laterally and can’t stay in front of players who drive at him. But his shooting has improved so much that Chris Holtmann can’t leave him off the floor.

Ahrens only averaged 10 minutes as a sophomore. His minutes have jumped up to close to 19 this season, and he plays 25 minutes most games now with him in the starting lineup. His shooting has become such a weapon that it’s worse for the team to not have him on the floor.

The Ohio State basketball team projects as a one seed right now. If Ahrens can keep shooting at this high of a clip, there’s no reason the Buckeyes can’t keep that seed line.