Before this weekend, the last time Ohio State secured a victory on the road against one of the top 25 teams in the Big Ten, Seth Towns was in the middle of his second season at Harvard. Yes, it’s been a while.
For the first time since losing then … No. After winning by one point on February 7, 2018, the Buckeyes overcame No. 15 Rutgers, 79-68, at the Rutgers Athletic Center to improve to 9-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten.
Here are five things to take from the 11 point win.
Found a Point Guard … for a day
Jimmy Sotos wasted no time. Starting in place of injured CJ Walker, he pulled up to a 3-point basket two minutes after the start of the game. Bang. Four minutes later, he stood up again behind the bow. A second consecutive make.
“Jimmy did a great job today when he led us and started, the start of the game gave us a big advantage early on,” said Kyle Young.
Since the defeat on December 16 at Purdue, Sotos has not taken a field shot. It had gone from 0 to 6 since then. But he went out shooting, without lack of confidence. With their energy and aggressiveness awakening them at the start of the game, the Buckeyes undoubtedly presented their best half of the season, moving the ball well and playing more physically than the Scarlet Knights.
Sotos doubled his previous season record by playing 28 minutes, scoring six points, four assists and three rebounds. With him in the main guard for nearly 3/4 of the afternoon, Ohio State didn’t miss a beat without Walker – its holder at the time – rehabilitating his right hand on the bench.
“I thought he played really well,” said coach Chris Holtmann. “I thought he defended himself well. I thought he created an offense with his ability to get on the track. I thought your decision was good. I thought that (Judge Sueing’s) decision-making was also good. But I thought Jimmy accommodated us in several ways and managed to keep the guards at the front. I was very, very satisfied. ”
By the 37th minute of the 40-minute game, it looked like Ohio State could have its answer on the point guard going forward until Walker could return.
So Sotos decided to dive into the ground. An admirable fourth-year move, which was transferred from Bucknell last year, turned out to be disastrous. He fell hard on his right shoulder and was helped off the court. Thereafter, Holtmann said that Sotos – who was visibly in pain – will do the necessary tests and learn more about the injury in a few days.
If the state of Ohio receives good news on the Sotos front, it is fair to expect him to move forward with Walker. If no? Things are risky. Two other games – Sueing and Duane Washington Jr. – would be counted as managers of the ball, and Meechie Johnson could see an increase in playing time earlier than expected.
Johnson made his high school debut on Saturday, playing four minutes without goals – and recording four trillion, which would please Mark Titus.
“I was very proud of Meechie,” said Holtmann. “I can’t overstate how difficult it is for him to get to campus when he got to campus, go through all the important things with the battery of tests, medical exams, just start practicing live two days ago and then play a top 15 teams on the road. So I give him a lot of credit. It will be a slow build with him. I give him a lot of credit. Excited that it continues to grow. ”
Undersized but impactful frontcourt
The Zed wrench is listed at 6 feet-8 and 245 pounds. Kyle Young is six feet tall and 225 pounds. EJ Liddell is 1.90 m tall and weighs 240 pounds.
The trio of attackers gave way to Rutgers’ center Myles Johnson (1.80 m, 255 pounds) on Saturday, and they will be smaller than many other big Big Ten men. This, however, did not stop them from significantly impacting the games.
Liddell scored 15 points against Rutgers, with 12 of them in the first half, when he made several medium-range jumpers and hit his second 3-point basket of the season. The initial explosion led to traps at the end of the game, when he let his teammates play against him. He added a trio of blocks, which included one that led to a transition dunk.
Young did the dirty work, scoring 13 points and winning five boards while apparently seeking contact in a physical game. Key played just nine minutes off the bench, but had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks in his moments outside. As Sueing put it, Key “comes in and sets the tone” by playing with his “heart”, even though his youth and lack of physical ability sometimes limit him.
“Our strikers played well for most of the season, as you know,” said Holtmann. “The games we won, the teams we beat, whether it’s UCLA in Cleveland or whatever, our forwards – and that would include Zed in that in terms of our set of forwards – played very well. But when we won important games or even had the chance to win a game on the road like Northwestern, our attackers played very well. And they did it again today. ”
“He will send me to an untimely death”
Washington has a funny way of pulling some of Holtmann’s best lines. The head coach hit the nail on the head with a 11 point win.
“I love him,” said Holtmann. “I love to train him, but he will send me to an untimely death. I love to train him, but he will send me to an untimely death. ”
Fair. And he is not alone.
The infinite supply of confidence and the feeling that he can give every chance on the court helps when he has things going, which he did for much of Saturday’s game. Washington scored 17 points and scored half of his eight points out of 3. His team’s 34-minute high was a big part of why the Buckeyes were so in control of the game.
But making decisions has never been his strong point. Confidence bordered on overconfidence at each game, and it overflowed at the end of the game, when he missed three of his last four shots and turned twice in the last two minutes.
“He brings joy to play, what we love about him,” said Holtmann. “It brings joy to play and a great spirit to play and compete. I have a lot of confidence in what it can be. But it certainly took years out of my life. ”
Energy, resistance on display
Sueing downplayed the impact of Johnson’s tweet sent after a 12-point victory in mid-December against Rutgers, when the center accused the referees of “cheating”. He said the state of Ohio would have responded “very well” to his defeat in Minnesota, regardless of whether Johnson said anything or not.
It is okay to ask yourself if it is being true. But regardless of what spurred the game on Saturday it worked.
Ohio State flew, the ball’s movement was on point and the guys on the court refused to give up any individual challenges.
“We knew we needed to be the most aggressive team,” said Young. “It’s something that we, I wouldn’t necessarily say are missing, but it’s something that we need to improve. Just setting the tone, being the most aggressive team was important for us. ”
Undoubtedly, Ohio State won that title, winning the battle underneath and on the glass in style. Several times, too, the Rutgers’ players were open-mouthed with the Buckeyes, who eventually took care of business and managed to win.
“Being the most physical and tough team will pay off a lot – 50/50 balls, all of that,” said Young. “There are a lot of little things around which you can build that reputation. It is something that we are definitely proud of and we need to continue working and improving. ”
Celebrate each road, win on the top ten
A victory or defeat in January, even against an opponent in the top 25, does not define a team. But that will not – and should not – prevent what happened on Saturday from invigorating the Buckeyes.
They have won just five games outside the Big Ten in the previous two seasons and started the game 0-2 away from home in a conference. That kind of competition has been tough before, and despite a late race from Rutgers, they’ve achieved a victory that is worth celebrating.
“It’s hard to win on the road, regardless of whether there are fans, fans,” said Sueing. “Especially in Big Ten, where the home court really means something. So for us to come here at Rutgers and come out with a win is really great for us, and it shows some progression for our team on a positive inclination to where we are going. ”
Holtmann added: “The guys really accepted and believed in improving. We know, I think, as you told me a month ago, we are a work in progress. We understand that. But our boys’ mentality and humor have been very good. ”