Ohio State basketball: Keys to winning the Maui Invitational
By Jacob Rhymer
Play on the perimeter must be consistent for the Ohio State basketball team.
In two out of Ohio State’s first three games of the season, the play on the perimeter has been significantly better than what it was a season ago. However last Wednesday against Eastern Illinois, the play on the perimeter was very poor compared to the games against Robert Morris and Charleston Southern. It will need to remain consistent this week if the Buckeyes want to win in Maui.
The Buckeyes shot 55.7% from the field against Robert Morris and 51.7% against Charleston Southern. Those percentages from the field dropped after their inefficient shooting effort against Eastern Illinois down to 40.4% in their most recent game against the Panthers. Ohio State will need to be anywhere north of at least 45% from the field in order to contend this week.
Justice Sueing has been the leader of this offense on the outside. I expect Sueing to have a big week offensively while on the islands. Holtmann has also gotten a huge spark from Brice Sensabaugh off the bench. He’s averaging 17 points per game and has become a true scoring threat in this Buckeye offense.
The play on the perimeter doesn’t just affect what happens outside of the three-point line. It also can determine how teams defend Zed Key in the post. Key has had a double-double in every game so far this season. He’s seeing a lot more open looks and fewer double teams because shots are being made on the outside. It just goes to show how important the perimeter play is for the Buckeyes.
The rims at the Maui Invitational are very forgiving. There are a lot of lucky bounces that happen during this tournament, and the Buckeyes need to use that to their advantage. Having consistent play on the perimeter is the number one key for the Buckeyes in order to win in Maui.
The second key is the Buckeyes need to limit their turnovers.