Ohio State basketball: Keys for the Buckeyes to beat Duke
By Jacob Rhymer
2. The Ohio State basketball team needs to be present on the boards
This has been a reoccurring theme for the Ohio State basketball team for the past couple of seasons. The focus coming into this season was the Buckeyes had to be a better rebounding team. Through six games so far the rebounding has been exceptionally better.
The rebounding is going to have to remain constant tonight against Duke. The Blue Devils lead the nation in offensive rebounding. They start two seven-foot freshmen who both ranked inside the top ten in the ESPN 100 recruiting board.
They have the number one overall recruit Dereck Lively who is making his way into the lineup after an injury to begin the season. Also, Kyle Filipowski, who was ranked seventh in the class, has been Duke’s best player so far this season.
Tonight’s matchups defensively are going to be interesting with the two bigs Duke has inside. Zed Key is going to have his hands full with Lively down low because of his length. Filipowski likes to stretch the floor and get shots on the perimeter.
With that, I can see Justice Sueing and Isaac Likekele switching on him during the game tonight. The only disadvantage for that is when Filipowski takes them down low, his length will be too much for Sueing or Likekele. Also, look to see a lineup shakeup tonight with Holtmann throwing Okpara in alongside Key to help counter the length of Duke.
It’s going to have to be a collective effort on the boards tonight for Ohio State. They can’t allow second chance opportunities, especially in this stadium as it will get the crowd involved. It’s easier said than done against the team leading in offensive rebounds, but it’s a major key for the Buckeyes if they want to win tonight.
My third key is that someone off the bench needs to provide a major spark.