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Ohio State basketball: What has happened to the former nationally ranked number one offense?

By Jacob Rhymer

Feb 2, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brice Sensabaugh (10) and guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) react on the bench during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 65-60. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Wisconsin Wisconsin At Ohio State
Feb 2, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brice Sensabaugh (10) and guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) react on the bench during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 65-60. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchBasketball Ceb Mbk Wisconsin Wisconsin At Ohio State /
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After dropping to Wisconsin last Thursday night, the Ohio State basketball team has now lost eight of their last nine games. Part of the Buckeyes’ problem during this winless drought is the lack of production on the offensive end of the floor.

If you remember back in the early part of January, KenPom ranked the Buckeyes number one in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. This Ohio State basketball team is nowhere close to playing like the former top offensive team in the country after some atrocious performances on that end of the floor as of late.

The Buckeyes were named number one in adjusted offensive efficiency in the KenPom rankings right after the loss to Purdue. The Ohio State basketball team had been averaging 80.3 points per game in the 14 games prior to the number-one ranking. Since the ranking came out in January, Ohio State’s points per game average have dropped significantly to 68.4.

Ohio State’s ranking has slid to 14th in the KenPom rankings while on this losing streak. They are somehow still in the top 15 of adjusted offensive efficiency, which is shocking for how miserable it has been for the Buckeyes on offense.

The movement on the offensive end is much different now than what it was at the beginning of the year. The Buckeyes were clicking when the ball was moving side-to-side along with a lot of player movement without the ball, and they looked to get out in transition.

Now the Ohio State basketball team is playing at a much slower pace, and they’re dribbling the air out of the ball which takes up nearly the whole shot clock. This form of offense has resulted in either a forced shot or a turnover.

The only constant bright spot on the Ohio State offense has been from freshman Brice Sensabaugh. The leaders, Justice Sueing and Zed Key, have been very streaky during this stretch. The Buckeyes are in Ann Arbor tomorrow afternoon to take on TTUN. They will need a collective offensive attack in order to escape Michigan with a win.

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The Ohio State basketball team needs to get back to their offensive principles from the beginning of the season if they want to finish the season strong. Tip-off against Michigan is set for tomorrow at 1:00 PM on CBS.

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