Ohio State basketball: Kyle Young is playing best ball ever

Kyle Young has been a massive reason why the Ohio State basketball team is in position to grab a number one seed in the NCAA Tourney, and he is playing the best basketball of his career.

The Ohio State basketball team has a great 16-4 record so far this season. A big reason why the Buckeyes have been in the midst of a five-game winning streak is the play of senior forward Kyle Young. Young is playing the best basketball of his career right now.

Young is coming off a career-high 18 point effort in the Buckeyes’ victory over Maryland on Monday. In that win, Young showed off the full arsenal in his game. He made jump hooks with both hands, made driving layups, put-back buckets on offensive rebounds, and even made a three.

I was critical of Young’s three-point shooting early in the year. Coming into his senior season, his best three-point shooting season was his sophomore year when he shot just 16.7% (yikes). This year though, he has dramatically increased his efficiency from deep.

Even though he is only taking one three-pointer a game, he is shooting it at 38% this season. That huge 22% jump is a big reason why Young has been more effective offensively this season. Teams have been sagging off him and he has made them pay with some timely shot-making.

Young’s defense is still the best part of his game. He often guards the toughest post player the opponent has and does so with reckless abandon. He gives up his body every night to take out that player. That’s exactly what he did when he played against Luka Garza last week.

Young has been doing this all year despite not practicing every week due to leg injuries. He is the heart and soul of this Ohio State basketball team. His play goes a long way to determine the ceiling of this squad.