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Ohio State Basketball: Role players need to step up

By Jacob Rhymer

Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) is guarded by Iowa Hawkeyes forward Filip Rebraca (0) and Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) during the NCAA men’s basketball game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.Ceb Osumb 0219 Ags 147
Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) is guarded by Iowa Hawkeyes forward Filip Rebraca (0) and Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) during the NCAA men’s basketball game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022.Ceb Osumb 0219 Ags 147 /
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The Ohio State basketball team is coming off a tough loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, which also happened to be their first home loss of the season. If the Buckeyes want to have a strong finish to the season and make some noise in the NCAA Tournament they are going to need the role players to step up.

Liddell and Branham have been phenomenal and they were against Iowa, but they can only do so much in the offense until they’re taken away. Every time Liddell got a touch in the post he was being double or triple-teamed by the Iowa defense. Branham did go for 22 points and was an efficient 9-13 from the field against Iowa, but down the stretch, he was denied hard on the perimeter and wasn’t given the same room to create as he had in the first half.

When things like Liddell being doubled or Branham being denied hard happen, then role players need to read and react by cutting or just getting open. They can’t go almost five minutes without scoring as they did on Saturday.

Another part of the loss to Iowa that was poor was the shooting from deep. The Buckeyes as a team shot 2-11 from three, an atrocious 18.2%. Guys not named E.J. Liddell or Malaki Branham were 0-7 from deep. For the Buckeyes to shoot that horrible on their home floor is unacceptable and can’t happen again if they want any chance, if there is any left, at reaching their end-of-season goals.

The Buckeyes play four of their next six games at home. They need to take advantage of the handful of home games to finish the regular season by improving on their shooting. That way they are riding some hot shooting into the Big Ten tournament. Unless Jamari Wheeler, Meechie Johnson, Justin Ahrens, Kyle Young, and Eugene Brown can take advantage of open looks it will be a rough ending to the regular season for the Buckeyes.

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The Ohio State basketball team is back home on Monday for a rematch with the Indiana Hoosiers and another Big Ten star in Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Bucks lost in Assembly Hall back in early January and let Jackson-Davis go for 27 in the game. The Hoosiers will try and double Liddell in the post, meaning this is another big opportunity where the role players need to step up if the Buckeyes are going to win.

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