Not an hour passed and Duane Washington Jr. saw the future.
“We will definitely see them again,” he said.
His Buckeyes had just suffered a 92-87 loss to Michigan, the second in a sequence of 12 games during which they rose to become the nation’s 4th team. In the aftermath of the shooting, he had a feeling that they would meet again. Or, at least, he hoped that was the case.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan (20-3, 14-3) |
Indianapolis, Indiana (Lucas Oil Stadium) |
1 pm |
CBS |
This weekend, he will fulfill his wish.
Ohio State, who finished fifth, won 87-78 in overtime, avoiding a catastrophic defeat for fourth-placed Purdue on Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, where they will face Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines, now facing the Buckeyes once again, beat Maryland in the quarterfinals of Lucas Oil Stadium to reach this point.
“I told you earlier in another interview that we were going to see you again, and here it is,” Washington said on Friday. “So, we’re super excited. About to leave this interview with you, recover and the tip is at 1 am tomorrow. Just go over the game plan, stay locked up, do what we need to do to get out of the dub and survive and move on. The guys are locked and loaded. ”
So far, the state of Ohio has barely come out on top twice. It won’t get any easier in the next game.
Michigan, the country’s fourth team, proved to be one of the top college basketball teams, beating Iowa, Wisconsin and Purdue, along with the Buckeyes. He has an attack and a defense in the top five, has an enviable mix of experience and youth and secured 92 points for the state of Ohio the first time he hit his opponent on Saturday.
Once again, the Buckeyes will need some of the magic from EJ Liddell, Duane Washington Jr. and company.
“I think they are still a little bit discouraged with this one,” said coach Chris Holtmann after Friday’s victory. “They understand that we are playing against an incredible team from Michigan, well trained and very, very good. We have to defend much better than what we did in game 1. We have to defend much better. But we have to somehow put our legs under us and be able to respond quickly to a team that is a truly complete team offensive and defensively. I think those are the big challenges that we face now, is that we have to rest and respond. ”
Three things to watch
Can Wolverines be restrained offensively?
No team has enlightened the Buckeyes this season like the Wolverines.
They establish the opponent’s maxims in a single game in points, points for possession, 3 percentage points, effective percentage of field goals and adjusted offensive efficiency. In short, they did what they wanted. Freshman Hunter Dickinson’s center dropped 22 points with nine hits, Eli Brooks (17 points) and Chaundee Brown (15 points) each hit a trio of 3s, Isaiah Livers had 12 points and Mike Smith recorded 11 points and seven assists. Franz Wagner, a potential NBA lottery selection in a few months, had only nine points, but that didn’t affect his team’s productivity much.
Given Ohio’s persistent defensive problems, it is difficult to find out exactly how Holtmann can make things more difficult for Wolverines. But one way or another, as the head coach said, you need to find a way to make that happen.
It all starts with the way the Buckeyes treat Dickinson. Do they allow their big men to take you one by one with limited help? Do they team up with him or chase guys in him? They tried both, and in the first half he hit teammates for 3 points, then in the second half he hit the post. The state of Ohio will want big days from EJ Liddell and Zed Key if it has any chance of getting the Michigan attack off the ground. Kyle Young’s status is unclear given the fact that he was assessed for a concussion after the game.
Outside of Dickinson’s question, the state of Ohio will look to Washington, Justice Sueing, Justin Ahrens and CJ Walker to improve the defense of guards and wards. It is no secret that Michigan has a variety of ways to harm teams with these positions.
Ridiculous shooting needed again
Michigan will earn many points. This may well be an assumption, and if not, the state of Ohio may feel good about it. But Saturday’s game will almost certainly require the Buckeyes to face each other in a case of many goals.
It worked well the last time – until Sueing’s late turn put his team in a two-ball possession hole. Washington achieved a career record of 30 points out of 12 out of 18 shots, and Liddell scored a double-double with 23 points and 10 hits. Walker (15 points) was the only other Buckeye with more than six points.
Ohio needs some simple things to happen.
Washington and Liddell again have to make difficult shots, make smart decisions and score a lot of points. They are the two best offensive players, have proven to be tough fights for the Wolverines and continue to play well with more consistency than ever.
The other guys have to produce more. It doesn’t matter if it’s Walker, Ahrens, Sueing, Key, Musa Jallow, Young, Gene Brown or Meechie Johnson. They have to play within their roles, make moves and get it right when called.
These Buckeyes landed a ton of hard shots and made a strong Michigan defense look like a pedestrian a few weeks ago. Can they do it again? We’re about to find out.
The same question we always ask
Have you got tired of this? Me too.
But until the state of Ohio can put an end to questions about its ability to finish games, that will continue to be questioned.
The Buckeyes lost an 18-point lead at halftime on Friday, defeating Purdue only when the game went into overtime. They watched a 12-point lead over Minnesota with 1:38 remaining to become a one-point lead with 15 seconds left the previous day.
Somehow, they avoided losses, despite errors in the second half. If these problems come up again on Saturday, however, they could mean the end of the race in this tournament.
Prediction: Michigan 89, Ohio state 83