Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes’ defensive effort needs to improve against Indiana
By Jacob Rhymer
The Ohio State basketball team is heading into Saturday’s match-up with the Indiana Hoosiers coming off a 69-60 defeat to the Illinois Fighting Illini this past Tuesday. The Buckeyes’ effort on the defensive end must improve in order to beat Indiana.
In Ohio State’s loss to Illinois Tuesday night, the effort on defense was mediocre at best. They struggled to get back on defense in transition. Along with that, the Buckeye basketball team gave up way too many straight-line drives to the basket for easy lay-ups.
The Hoosiers rank second in the Big Ten in scoring at 78.3 points per game, and they lead the conference in field goal percentage at exactly 50% shooting. The weapons that Indiana has on offense will require Ohio State to play more disciplined than they have been on defense if they want to win.
Ohio State and IU have been trending in opposite directions as of late. Including the loss on Tuesday, Ohio State has now lost six of its last seven games. Meanwhile, Indiana won their last four games including wins over Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and an impressive 15-point win at Illinois.
The Hoosiers are led by junior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, and he’s been on an absolute tear on both ends of the floor during their winning streak. In the last three games alone, Jackson-Davis is averaging 30.3 points, 15.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 4.7 blocks.
Jackson-Davis has always given the Buckeyes problems in his stint at Indiana. Last season when Ohio State faced the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall, he went for 27 points on 11-17 shooting, along with 12 rebounds and five blocks.
Ohio State has had their struggles defending Indiana’s best player, specifically Zed Key. I imagine Key will get the start defensively on Trayce Jackson-Davis. However Felix Okpara or Eugene Brown would be better options to guard him. Don’t be surprised if we see a lot of usage from those two today to try and slow down the All-American.
The Buckeyes are in desperate need of a signature win and today is a perfect opportunity to get that. According to FanDuel, right now Ohio State is a four-point underdog heading into Assembly Hall for their battle with the Hoosiers.
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Hopefully, this Ohio State basketball team can avoid the start of another losing streak with a huge win tonight in one of the toughest atmospheres in college basketball. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM on FOX.