Game Day Essentials: Game #22 at #13 Ohio St

Ohio State Info

Head Coach: Chris Holtmann

Location: Columbus, OH
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Buckeyes

Mascot: Brutus Buckeye

Last time out: Beat Rutgers
Typical Rotation Depth: 10
Line: Ohio State by 10.5

Tempo: Middle of the road

Offense: Bates-Diop Centric

Style: Middle assist % / Low 3pa%

Fun Fact: Andre Wesson, Kaleb Wesson, and Jae'Sean Tate's fathers played for Ohio St. 

Fun Fact: Ohio St is attempting to become the 3rd B1G team in a row to win a league title with a Michigan graduate transfer. (Andrew Dakich). Purdue won in 2017 with Spike Albrecht and Indiana in 2016 with Max Bielfeldt.

If you really want to boil down the secret to Ohio St's success, it's that they shoot well and defend well inside the arc.

HHC Member Scouting

Most Frequent Lineups over the last 5 games

Nebraska

Ohio St

With limited center play recently Nebraska's most popular lineups have been their Roby/Copeland spread with either Gill or Taylor in at the 2. Ohio St is a good 3 point shooting team because they limit most of their shots to the guys who can make them.  Overall the shots are dominated by Bates-Diap as he dominates the ball ala 2014 Terran Petteway.

Players to watch:  Jae'Sean Tate

Tate is notorious at Nebraska for being the guy who slapped the floor which allowed Tai Webster to drive by him (he didn't play another game again that season). A terrible 3pt shooter, the undersized SF is a bull to the basket. If you can keep him out of the paint, you've won the battle. No one else on the team gets into the paint like he does.

Players to watch:  Keita Bates-Diop

Does Thad Matta still have his job if KBD doesn't get injured last year? Dude is hitting from everywhere and is especially dangerous with that mid-range game that everyone else wants to give you. He doesn't necessarily draw a ton of contact so it might be possible to put either Roby or Copeland on him without worrying about whether they get into foul trouble.

Miles Presser

Anton Gill

The Skinny

In what should be their last regular season game in which they're a significant underdog, Nebraska squares off against the almost-nobody-saw-this-coming squad of 2018 Ohio St. Led by Keita Bates-Diop the undefeated-in-conference Buckeyes appear to be locks for the NCAA tournament and in the running with Purdue for the league title.  Like Nebraska, Ohio St has a deep lineup despite the fact they were the constant butt of jokes for only fielding 11 scholarship players after Chris Holtmann took over well into June. The Buckeyes tend to play with a traditional center but are known to roll out a lineup with forward KBD as their center.  With just 9 minutes of true center play against smaller opponents in the last two games, expect the 3 headed monster of Jordy, Dube, and Tanner to grab more minutes.

Defensively Nebraska has been locked in since at least January in spite of the fact they constantly give up offensive rebounds. Nebraska has locked down the 3pt line and finally has the interior size and speed to keep from being eaten alive inside.  Unless Ohio State is just knocking down garbage the real question tonight is how much offense can former Chris Holtmann assistant Michael Lewis dial up?  It's been my running joke that his influence to this year's squad has been the L.E.W.I.S. system and if he can figure out how to score against this impressive Ohio St squad on the road I promise to figure out what the acronym stands for. One thing working in his favor is that the Buckeyes appear to be tired; it's been noted that some of their high minute guys rested on Sunday instead of practicing.

Can Nebraska put together a consecutive complete game while on the road?  Let's find out, shall we?

Prediction: Nebraska 71 - Ohio St 68