A deep Ohio State basketball team looks to make a mark in the 2020-21 season
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BVM) — After surviving a rough middle of the season, things were starting to look up again for the Ohio State basketball team heading into the Big Ten Tournament last March. An up and down season that saw them ranked No. 1 in the nation at one point, also saw them lose six of seven. But the season had turned around before it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Buckeyes finished the campaign at 21-10 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten Conference, losing star center Kaleb Wesson to the pros along with his brother Andre Wesson to graduation.
After starting this season off 2-0, the Buckeyes remain the No. 23 team in the nation in the AP Top 25.
Ohio State has a very deep team that returns some key pieces and added to the roster through transfers and freshmen.
“We are a work in progress, we’ve got guys who are playing different roles, new roles than what they did last year, expanded roles,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said in a preseason press conference on Nov. 23. “We certainly have some new guys that we’re integrating into our rotations.”
The Buckeyes return both starting guards in senior CJ Walker and junior Duane Washington Jr. Walker shined toward the end of the season after gaining the point guard spot right after the leave of absence and later the transfer of D.J. Carton. Washington Jr., the team’s second leading scorer last season, is one of the team’s best shooters and has developed his scoring at all levels. He is averaging 16.5 points per game and two assists over the first two games.
“He’s (Washington) playing with great confidence and aggressiveness, he’s got to continue to make the right reads and plays and understand how teams are going to play him,” Holtmann said on Nov. 11.
Junior guard Musa Jallow returns after missing last season with an injury. Jallow should help contribute on both sides of the ball, but stands out on defense. Bucknell grad transfer Jimmy Sotos will see time at the backup point guard spot, having averaged 11 points and four assists for the Bison last season.
Ohio State is deep and versatile at the forward spots. Cal transfer, junior Justice Sueing, adds a proven scorer, having averaged 14 points in his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cal. He currently leads the team with 17 points per game while adding seven rebounds.
“Justice gives us a unique guy,” Holtmann said in a press conference on Nov. 11. “The way he moves, his athleticism, he gives us just a little bit of a different element than we’ve had at the wing.”
Sophomore E.J. Liddell has been impressive at the power forward spot in his two seasons in Columbus, averaging 13 points and five rebounds through two games.
“E.J. has to take a major step for us, I think to expect a sophomore to be someone you’re going to run 100% of the offense through in the best league in the country is probably too much to put on him right now,” Holtmann said on Nov. 23.
Sharpshooting junior Justin Ahrens will look to make an impact off the bench with his scoring. Promising freshman Eugene Brown III adds another rangy defender for the Buckeyes with the ability to score off the bench in his freshman season as well.
One player to keep an eye on is Harvard graduate transfer, Columbus native and Northland graduate, Seth Towns. Towns was an AP All-American honorable mention player in 2017-18 after averaging 16 points, six rebounds and two assists per game for the Crimson. Towns missed the last two seasons through injury and is hoping to make a big impact for his hometown Buckeyes. Andy Katz listed him as the No. 12 returning player for this upcoming season on his March Madness 365 podcast.
Senior Kyle Young brings experience along with hustle and hard-nose defending against bigger players at the center position. Young can also play the forward spots and leads the team in rebounding with eight per game.
Freshman Zed Key has made an impact in his first two games, playing 17 minutes in both contests while scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds per game. Sophomore center Ibrahima Diallo will look to make an impact in his second year
One of the hallmarks of Chris Holtmann’s teams has been a stifling defense, and that has not changed at Ohio State. The Buckeyes have ranked in the top-25 in KenPom’s AdjD — a ranking of a teams defensive efficiency per 100 possessions — over Holtmann’s three seasons in Columbus, including being ranked 15th last season.
The team opened the season with a 94-67 victory over Illinois State and a 74-64 win over UMass Lowell. Five Buckeyes scored in double digits against the Redbirds led by Sueing, who had 19 points, shooting 88.9 percent from the field and grabbing eight rebounds. Against UMass Lowell, Washington led the way with 21 points, while Sueing added 15 points and six rebounds.
Intriguing non-conference matchups with Notre Dame and North Carolina remain before Ohio State goes into Big Ten play.
The Big Ten looks to be one of the best conferences in the country this year boasting six teams in the AP Top 25 at the moment and others just on the outside looking in. Three teams are in the top five: Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. Ohio State was picked to finish seventh in the preseason media poll.
The Buckeyes will play their next game against Morehead State on Wednesday at the Covelli Center.
