Ohio State basketball team needs a new starting lineup

The Ohio State basketball team won last night by a score of 83-37. Granted, it was against an IUPUI team that was 1-14 coming into the game, but a win is a win. One thing that the game did show me is that the team needs a new starting lineup on Saturday.

Justin Ahrens can no longer justify being in the starting lineup. His poor shooting is going to kill this team against good teams. He’s not just missing threes, he’s missing wide-open threes where the nearest guy to him is three feet away. Those are the types of shots everyone needs to make.

Chris Holtmann saw it and decided to make a move in the second half. He started Eugene Brown instead of Ahrens, and it was 100% the right move. Brown can cut off the ball, play defense, and shoot as well. Brown shoots it 71.4% from the field at the moment.

Brown’s defense is what gives him the edge over Ahrens as well. Brown can actually stay in front of his man on the perimeter and not get beaten off the dribble. He has also shown the ability to shoot from outside but doesn’t have the volume a player like Ahrens does. He’s only taken 14 threes this year.

If the Ohio State basketball team wants to play to its full potential, Ahrens needs to come off the bench. He has the profile of a perfect bench-scorer anyway. He’s someone that can come in and shoot some threes and possibly get hot from beyond the arc. Those are valuable players.

With his shooting slump the way that it is right now, Holtmann can’t justify giving him starters minutes anymore. Ahrens and Brown should flip roles right now until Justice Sueing gets back. Even then, Brown should probably hold onto the starting job.

We’ll see if Holtmann makes any adjustments to the lineup on Saturday.