Ohio State basketball needs more shooters

It’s quite a simple thing to say; the Ohio State basketball team needs more shooters. After watching another season go up in flames on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes need more players that can stretch the floor to help them advance.

Every team in the country could use more shooting. Stretching the floor is something that every basketball team is searching for at every level of the game. Ohio State needs it more than others because of the style of game they play on both offense and defense.

This past season, defenses began to figure out the Buckeyes in the half-court. They would rush to double E.J. Liddell once he got the ball in the post. He would be forced to kick out to a player on the perimeter. Most of the time, the shot from that player wouldn’t go in.

Teams would also crowd the paint to keep Malaki Branham from driving in and getting a layup or a pull-up midrange jumper. That was pretty much the offense. If neither of those guys could get what they wanted, the offense took an ugly turn. It’s all because of the lack of shooting.

Justin Ahrens cratered with his shooting. Jamari Wheeler did too. Chris Holtmann needs to get more shooters in the program, whether by recruiting or the transfer portal. The transfer portal wasn’t too kind to the Ohio State basketball program this past year though.

Until the Buckeyes get more shooting, the type of offense that Holtmann likes to run just isn’t going to work. He’s likely losing Branham and has already lost Liddell. They won’t have any go-to guys who can get buckets. A lot of pressure will be laid at the feet of the incoming freshman class.

Bruce Thornton and company have a lot on their plate next year. If they can’t shoot again, the result will continue to be the same for this Buckeye squad.