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LGHL No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball can’t handle No. 7 USC Trojans, lose 84-63
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No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball can’t handle No. 7 USC Trojans, lose 84-63
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes head back to Columbus with two losses in Los Angeles.
The No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball team (20-3, 9-3) finished their West Coast road trip Saturday night against the No. 7 USC Trojans (21-2, 11-1). Despite holding USC guard JuJu Watkins to under her conference-leading 24.2 points per game, Ohio State couldn’t find consistent offense and lost 84-61.
Like the Buckeyes did on Wednesday against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins, Ohio State got off to a quick start from the jump. Saturday night it came defensively, when the visitors forced five turnovers while USC shot 0-of-7 from the floor. Regardless, offensively it didn’t mean Ohio State built up a big lead.
Ohio State had a three-point lead thanks to forward Ajae Petty. After scoring no points against the Bruins, Petty scored the team with four points, all inside the paint. The reason was that the Buckeyes couldn’t find many opportunities with USC’s man coverage locking down OSU’s shooters.
Point guard Jaloni Cambridge and forward Cotie McMahon were kept out of the paint too by the towering size of the Trojans starting four players at least six feet tall. USC outrebounded the Buckeyes 17-9, with two blocks, in the first quarter.
McMahon also ran into foul trouble, picking up two in the first four minutes, requiring the Buckeyes vocal leader to sit on the bench for the remainder of the quarter.
USC began hitting shots and went into the second quarter up a point, thanks to two three-point shots, but none by guard JuJu Watkins. In the first 15 minutes, Ohio State held Watkins to two points, both from the free-throw line. The sophomores' seven shots from the field were all missed, with Buckeye guard/forward Taylor Thierry on Watkins, which caused issues for the star from Los Angeles.
By the media timeout in the second quarter, the Buckeyes were down five points. They quickly went to three, with Petty scoring her eighth point of the game. Then, the wheels began to fall off a bit, and USC went on a run, scoring 11 of the last 17 points of the quarter.
During the run, Petty, the lone player consistently producing on offense, picked up two quick fouls. The second occurred when the Trojans were dribbling up the court, a situation that did not require a foul from the graduate senior. It sent Petty to the bench with three fouls before halftime.
Ohio State entered the locker room down 34-26, needing to find some way around the USC defense to compete with the home side.
Out of the locker room, it looked like head coach Kevin McGuff saw how the Trojans were getting foul calls (10-4) and wanted some of his own. The Buckeyes entered the game and went right at the paint.
McMahon went to the basket twice, one time landing hard on her face and needing to leave the game for a short period of time. Then Cambridge and Thierry followed. The fouls started building against the home side, with forward Kiki Iriafen picking up three quick fouls in the first three minutes of the third quarter.
That sent the Trojans leading scorer of the game (18 points) to the bench.
Even with Iriafen out, the Trojans came out of a quick timeout by head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and went on a five-point run that gave the home side a 13-point lead. Just 52 seconds later, coach McGuff called one of his own to try and stop the game from getting too away from his side.
Out of the timeout, the Buckeyes went small, forced turnovers, and kept going to the basket. Ohio State cut the deficit back to single digits but USC wasn’t easily overcome. With 2:02 remaining in the third, Watkins hit her first shot from the floor, after missing her first 11 attempts.
It started a seven-point run for the Trojans, which increased their lead to a game-high 14 points. That lead held through the end of the third quarter, giving Ohio State the toughest climb of the season to date, a peak the Buckeyes could not reach.
USC extended the lead to 17 points and while the visitors kept pushing, Ohio State couldn’t find enough consistent shooting or stops on defense to make the game close. In the process of the comeback, Thierry also fouled out of the game, making that battle even more difficult.
The Trojans continued to dominate, pushing the lead up to 20 points, taking away any sort of positive for the Buckeyes’s trip west. USC out rebounded the Buckeyes 60-29 and blocked 10 shots, including blocks all the way up to the final moments of the fourth quarter.
Thierry scored in the loss with 14 points, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds, while four of five starters for Ohio State scored at least 10 points.
For the Trojans, three players had double-doubles against the Buckeyes. Iriafen led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds, with Watkins scoring 17 points with 10 rebounds, and six of those points came from the free throw line.
The Buckeyes head back to Ohio, with four of the remaining six games of the regular season played in Columbus. It begins on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to the Schottenstein Center for the first time since Feb. 8, 2023.
Ohio State has a 13-game winning streak against the Golden Gophers, a program that made it into the AP Top 25 on January 13 for the first time this season after starting 16-1. Since then, Minnesota has lost five of the last seven games, including losses to the then-ranked Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, and unranked Iowa Hawkeyes.
Minnesota guard Mara Braun returned after a foot injury took her out after 22 games last season, but it only lasted five games. Braun hasn’t played since Nov. 17. Instead, guard Amaya Battle and forward Grace Gracholski lead the Golden Gophers with each scoring 11.6 points per game.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes head back to Columbus with two losses in Los Angeles.
The No. 8 Ohio State women’s basketball team (20-3, 9-3) finished their West Coast road trip Saturday night against the No. 7 USC Trojans (21-2, 11-1). Despite holding USC guard JuJu Watkins to under her conference-leading 24.2 points per game, Ohio State couldn’t find consistent offense and lost 84-61.
Like the Buckeyes did on Wednesday against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins, Ohio State got off to a quick start from the jump. Saturday night it came defensively, when the visitors forced five turnovers while USC shot 0-of-7 from the floor. Regardless, offensively it didn’t mean Ohio State built up a big lead.
Ohio State had a three-point lead thanks to forward Ajae Petty. After scoring no points against the Bruins, Petty scored the team with four points, all inside the paint. The reason was that the Buckeyes couldn’t find many opportunities with USC’s man coverage locking down OSU’s shooters.
Point guard Jaloni Cambridge and forward Cotie McMahon were kept out of the paint too by the towering size of the Trojans starting four players at least six feet tall. USC outrebounded the Buckeyes 17-9, with two blocks, in the first quarter.
McMahon also ran into foul trouble, picking up two in the first four minutes, requiring the Buckeyes vocal leader to sit on the bench for the remainder of the quarter.
USC began hitting shots and went into the second quarter up a point, thanks to two three-point shots, but none by guard JuJu Watkins. In the first 15 minutes, Ohio State held Watkins to two points, both from the free-throw line. The sophomores' seven shots from the field were all missed, with Buckeye guard/forward Taylor Thierry on Watkins, which caused issues for the star from Los Angeles.
By the media timeout in the second quarter, the Buckeyes were down five points. They quickly went to three, with Petty scoring her eighth point of the game. Then, the wheels began to fall off a bit, and USC went on a run, scoring 11 of the last 17 points of the quarter.
During the run, Petty, the lone player consistently producing on offense, picked up two quick fouls. The second occurred when the Trojans were dribbling up the court, a situation that did not require a foul from the graduate senior. It sent Petty to the bench with three fouls before halftime.
Ohio State entered the locker room down 34-26, needing to find some way around the USC defense to compete with the home side.
Out of the locker room, it looked like head coach Kevin McGuff saw how the Trojans were getting foul calls (10-4) and wanted some of his own. The Buckeyes entered the game and went right at the paint.
McMahon went to the basket twice, one time landing hard on her face and needing to leave the game for a short period of time. Then Cambridge and Thierry followed. The fouls started building against the home side, with forward Kiki Iriafen picking up three quick fouls in the first three minutes of the third quarter.
That sent the Trojans leading scorer of the game (18 points) to the bench.
Even with Iriafen out, the Trojans came out of a quick timeout by head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and went on a five-point run that gave the home side a 13-point lead. Just 52 seconds later, coach McGuff called one of his own to try and stop the game from getting too away from his side.
Out of the timeout, the Buckeyes went small, forced turnovers, and kept going to the basket. Ohio State cut the deficit back to single digits but USC wasn’t easily overcome. With 2:02 remaining in the third, Watkins hit her first shot from the floor, after missing her first 11 attempts.
It started a seven-point run for the Trojans, which increased their lead to a game-high 14 points. That lead held through the end of the third quarter, giving Ohio State the toughest climb of the season to date, a peak the Buckeyes could not reach.
USC extended the lead to 17 points and while the visitors kept pushing, Ohio State couldn’t find enough consistent shooting or stops on defense to make the game close. In the process of the comeback, Thierry also fouled out of the game, making that battle even more difficult.
The Trojans continued to dominate, pushing the lead up to 20 points, taking away any sort of positive for the Buckeyes’s trip west. USC out rebounded the Buckeyes 60-29 and blocked 10 shots, including blocks all the way up to the final moments of the fourth quarter.
Thierry scored in the loss with 14 points, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds, while four of five starters for Ohio State scored at least 10 points.
For the Trojans, three players had double-doubles against the Buckeyes. Iriafen led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds, with Watkins scoring 17 points with 10 rebounds, and six of those points came from the free throw line.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes head back to Ohio, with four of the remaining six games of the regular season played in Columbus. It begins on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to the Schottenstein Center for the first time since Feb. 8, 2023.
Ohio State has a 13-game winning streak against the Golden Gophers, a program that made it into the AP Top 25 on January 13 for the first time this season after starting 16-1. Since then, Minnesota has lost five of the last seven games, including losses to the then-ranked Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, and unranked Iowa Hawkeyes.
Minnesota guard Mara Braun returned after a foot injury took her out after 22 games last season, but it only lasted five games. Braun hasn’t played since Nov. 17. Instead, guard Amaya Battle and forward Grace Gracholski lead the Golden Gophers with each scoring 11.6 points per game.
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LGHL Nebraska sprints past Ohio State men in second half, 79-71
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Nebraska sprints past Ohio State men in second half, 79-71
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Despite a 30-point day by Micah Parrish, supporting Buckeyes floundered offensively to lose a winnable game in Lincoln.
It was Super Sunday in the Midwest, but before the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs grabbed the nation’s collective attention, Ohio State men’s basketball headed to Lincoln, Nebraska to try and put an end to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-8, 6-7) three-game winning streak. Even with a career game for Micah Parrish, Nebraska extended their winning streak with a 76-66 win over the Buckeyes.
Nebraska came out the aggressors, and after the two sides combined to make their first five shots, the Cornhuskers went on a run. Nebraska’s Brice Williams scored six points in a 13-2 ‘Huskers run that put the home side up nine points in front of a loud Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Bringing the Buckeyes back into the conversation was forward Micah Parrish. The graduate senior transfer scored the next eight points for Ohio State and guard Bruce Thornton, fresh off his 31-point game in the comeback win over the Maryland Terrapins, joined in, scoring four points. The two put Ohio State back in the lead, outscoring Nebraska 18-8 in 7:57 of game clock.
Aiding the Buckeyes was forward Juwan Gary going to the bench with foul troubles. The senior picked up two in the first half, limiting him to nine minutes in the first half. When Gary sat, Ohio State capitalized by allowing only two points in the run of play in nearly six minutes of the half.
The Scarlet and Gray benefited from the aggressive Nebraska defense, going to the line eight times in the first half, compared to four for the home side. Ohio State couldn’t capitalize much on the free shots, going 50 percent in the half, which included the trio of “bigs” Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart, and Evan Mahaffey going 2-for-6.
Despite allowing the Cornhuskers to shoot 51.9 percent in the first half, the Buckeyes entered halftime up 39-34 thanks to strong defense in the final three minutes of the first half. Nebraska missed all four shots they took, scoring three points from the free throw line while Mobley hit his third three-point shot of the half and Thornton scoring his eighth point of the game, putting him in 29th place in Ohio State’s record books.
Parrish didn’t slow down to start the second half, and the Buckeyes needed it. After hitting a three-point shot to start the scoring, the Cornhuskers went on an eight-point run led by Gary, scoring the first five points. Parrish responded with a layup of his own to stop the run and put Ohio State back in the lead.
The forward single-handedly kept the Buckeyes in the game to start the second half, scoring the first nine points of the period while the Cornhuskers tried to erase their one possession deficit.
However, Parrish couldn’t do it alone and the Cornhuskers tied the game and went into the lead on a poor turnover in the Buckeyes’ defensive end. Forward Aaron Bradshaw had his pocket picked, giving Nebraska a fast break layup that put them in the lead and prompted head coach Jake Diebler to call a timeout.
At the timeout, Buckeyes not named Micah Parrish shot 0-for-8 from the floor and Diebler saw the his team needed to stop the Cornhusker momentum to keep the game close.
A brief pause didn’t help and the Cornhuskers went on an 11-point run, led by five points from Williams. Thankfully for the Buckeyes, a player not in a Parrish jersey joined the scoring when Mobley hit the next five Ohio State points. Parrish added a three of his own on the back end of Mobley’s points to quickly turn an eight-point deficit into a single possession with 6:25 remaining in the game.
In the next three minutes, Nebraska tried to find separation but Ohio State kept fighting, After hitting two free throws, Mobley hit his fifth three-point shot of the game, this time from far behind the arc, assisted by Parrish for his first assist of the game. This got Ohio State back within two, 62-60, with just under four minutes remaining.
Ohio State still needed another player to add to the production in the second half, with only Parrish and Mobley scoring to that point of the half. Then, with 3:02 remaining, guard Ques Glover burned the final timeout for the Buckeyes after running baseline and getting caught in the corner without an outlet. At the same time, Nebraska got into the bonus and controlled the clock for the rest of the game.
Out of the timeout, Mobley took another three, but this time it couldn’t fall and Nebraska capitalized with Williams scoring his 20th point of the game on a midrange jumper. It put the home side up seven points, and erased some hope for the visiting Buckeyes.
Parrish again tried to add to the hope, hitting a corner three to bring the game within five points, but the Buckeyes had to foul to stop the game from that point. Nebraska had the ball in the hands of Williams who entered the game shooting 90 percent from the free throw line. Each time Williams got to the charity stripe, he added to his double-double performance and stretched the lead further.
It wasn’t all good for the Cornhuskers late. With 45 seconds remaining, forward Berke Buyuktuncel landed hard on his ankle, needing help off the court and not putting any weight on his left ankle. The Turkish big started 20 of 22 games for Nebraska.
Nebraska saw the win through behind 24 points and 10 rebounds by Williams and 17 points by Gary. Mobley was the only other Buckeye in double figures on the day, adding 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
John Mobley Jr. Keeps Shooting Deep
The guard continued his nation-leading three-point shooting efficiency for a freshman from the jump. Mobley hit his first two three-point shots of the game, and his efficiency was important with the Cornhuskers hitting their first three shots of the game. It gave the Buckeyes an early lead, albeit a short-lived advantage with the Cornhuskers responding with 13 of the next 15 points.
In the second half of the first period, the Buckeyes faced two quick injuries taking players out of the game for additional care. First, forward Sean Stewart received an elbow to the face from forward Juwan Gary on a follow through under the basket. Then, forward Devin Royal and forward Andrew Morgan collided under the basket, with the Cornhusker Morgan landing on Royal’s ankle.
Both times, the Nebraska faithful actively booed the two injured Buckeyes, as if the injuries somehow stopped the Cornhuskers.
Stewart was able to return to the game shortly, but Royal did not return until the start of the second half. After going to the locker room for some time, he came back to the bench and watched the final seven or so minutes from the pine.
The former San Diego State and Oakland forward has been hit or miss in the scoring column in his final year of NCAA basketball, but not in the first half. Parrish’s 14 points in the first half paced all Ohio State scorers. In the hot streak, it seemed like Parrish could do no wrong, including one play where the graduate senior stole the ball, went on a fast break and then earned an and-one after forcing contact on a made layup. Nebraska’s Rollie Worster was called for the foul.
Entering the game, Nebraska’s leading scorer Williams was on a tear, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting with five rebounds, but the Buckeye defense played so well against the rest of the Cornhuskers that it didn’t bury the visitors.
The rest of Nebraska shot 7-of-17 in the first half.
With 13 minutes remaining in the second half, Parrish’s hot shooting hand continued, and the graduate’s basket was representative of how important he was to the Buckeyes on Sunday. Following a missed layup by Royal, Parrish grabbed the offensive rebound and battled through three Nebraska defenders in the paint to hit a layup.
It gave Parrish 23 points, eclipsing his previous single game career high of 22 points scored in the Buckeyes’ upset win of the Purdue Boilermakers on Jan. 21.
After strong defense in the first half, Nebraska broke through in the second half, going on an 11-point run for four and a half minutes. It swung the Buckeyes’ lead into a seven-point Cornhusker advantage.
While Mobley ended the run, also becoming only the second player to score for Ohio State in over half of the second period, the Cornhuskers hit a three in response to keep the lead strong, requiring another comeback for the Buckeyes if they hoped to continue their current form of four wins in the last five games.
After Mobley hit a midrange jumper, the freshman scored his fourth three of the contest, which motivated Parrish to do the same. Alone on the wing, Nebraska tried to close out the graduate senior but Parrish stayed patient, let the Cornhusker jump past him and hit a crucial shot from beyond the arc for Ohio State mens hoops.
Out of the Nebraska timeout to slow down the pair, Parrish played lockdown defense on starting guard Rollie Worster when he tried to go to the basket but Parrish stuck with it, knocking the ball away and requiring a Cornhusker timeout with just over a second remaining on the shot clock. The play ended with a shot clock violation.
Parrish and Mobley scored 49 of the Buckeyes’ 69 points in the loss, with only six points of the second half not coming from one of the two. The lack of offensive diversity for Ohio State meant added attention on the two and nobody ended up saving the Scarlet and Gray, with Thornton adding one made free throw and five points for Evan Mahaffey.
Ohio State (14-10, 6-7) returns home for three games at the Schottenstein Center in eight days. It begins with the Washington Huskies, a team the Buckeyes have only played once in their program histories, ending in a 77-66 win for Ohio State.
Then The Rivalry renews when the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines head to Columbus on Sunday in the lone matchup in the regular season between the sides.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Despite a 30-point day by Micah Parrish, supporting Buckeyes floundered offensively to lose a winnable game in Lincoln.
It was Super Sunday in the Midwest, but before the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs grabbed the nation’s collective attention, Ohio State men’s basketball headed to Lincoln, Nebraska to try and put an end to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-8, 6-7) three-game winning streak. Even with a career game for Micah Parrish, Nebraska extended their winning streak with a 76-66 win over the Buckeyes.
Nebraska came out the aggressors, and after the two sides combined to make their first five shots, the Cornhuskers went on a run. Nebraska’s Brice Williams scored six points in a 13-2 ‘Huskers run that put the home side up nine points in front of a loud Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Bringing the Buckeyes back into the conversation was forward Micah Parrish. The graduate senior transfer scored the next eight points for Ohio State and guard Bruce Thornton, fresh off his 31-point game in the comeback win over the Maryland Terrapins, joined in, scoring four points. The two put Ohio State back in the lead, outscoring Nebraska 18-8 in 7:57 of game clock.
Aiding the Buckeyes was forward Juwan Gary going to the bench with foul troubles. The senior picked up two in the first half, limiting him to nine minutes in the first half. When Gary sat, Ohio State capitalized by allowing only two points in the run of play in nearly six minutes of the half.
The Scarlet and Gray benefited from the aggressive Nebraska defense, going to the line eight times in the first half, compared to four for the home side. Ohio State couldn’t capitalize much on the free shots, going 50 percent in the half, which included the trio of “bigs” Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart, and Evan Mahaffey going 2-for-6.
Despite allowing the Cornhuskers to shoot 51.9 percent in the first half, the Buckeyes entered halftime up 39-34 thanks to strong defense in the final three minutes of the first half. Nebraska missed all four shots they took, scoring three points from the free throw line while Mobley hit his third three-point shot of the half and Thornton scoring his eighth point of the game, putting him in 29th place in Ohio State’s record books.
Parrish didn’t slow down to start the second half, and the Buckeyes needed it. After hitting a three-point shot to start the scoring, the Cornhuskers went on an eight-point run led by Gary, scoring the first five points. Parrish responded with a layup of his own to stop the run and put Ohio State back in the lead.
The forward single-handedly kept the Buckeyes in the game to start the second half, scoring the first nine points of the period while the Cornhuskers tried to erase their one possession deficit.
However, Parrish couldn’t do it alone and the Cornhuskers tied the game and went into the lead on a poor turnover in the Buckeyes’ defensive end. Forward Aaron Bradshaw had his pocket picked, giving Nebraska a fast break layup that put them in the lead and prompted head coach Jake Diebler to call a timeout.
At the timeout, Buckeyes not named Micah Parrish shot 0-for-8 from the floor and Diebler saw the his team needed to stop the Cornhusker momentum to keep the game close.
A brief pause didn’t help and the Cornhuskers went on an 11-point run, led by five points from Williams. Thankfully for the Buckeyes, a player not in a Parrish jersey joined the scoring when Mobley hit the next five Ohio State points. Parrish added a three of his own on the back end of Mobley’s points to quickly turn an eight-point deficit into a single possession with 6:25 remaining in the game.
In the next three minutes, Nebraska tried to find separation but Ohio State kept fighting, After hitting two free throws, Mobley hit his fifth three-point shot of the game, this time from far behind the arc, assisted by Parrish for his first assist of the game. This got Ohio State back within two, 62-60, with just under four minutes remaining.
Ohio State still needed another player to add to the production in the second half, with only Parrish and Mobley scoring to that point of the half. Then, with 3:02 remaining, guard Ques Glover burned the final timeout for the Buckeyes after running baseline and getting caught in the corner without an outlet. At the same time, Nebraska got into the bonus and controlled the clock for the rest of the game.
Out of the timeout, Mobley took another three, but this time it couldn’t fall and Nebraska capitalized with Williams scoring his 20th point of the game on a midrange jumper. It put the home side up seven points, and erased some hope for the visiting Buckeyes.
Parrish again tried to add to the hope, hitting a corner three to bring the game within five points, but the Buckeyes had to foul to stop the game from that point. Nebraska had the ball in the hands of Williams who entered the game shooting 90 percent from the free throw line. Each time Williams got to the charity stripe, he added to his double-double performance and stretched the lead further.
It wasn’t all good for the Cornhuskers late. With 45 seconds remaining, forward Berke Buyuktuncel landed hard on his ankle, needing help off the court and not putting any weight on his left ankle. The Turkish big started 20 of 22 games for Nebraska.
Nebraska saw the win through behind 24 points and 10 rebounds by Williams and 17 points by Gary. Mobley was the only other Buckeye in double figures on the day, adding 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
John Mobley Jr. Keeps Shooting Deep
The guard continued his nation-leading three-point shooting efficiency for a freshman from the jump. Mobley hit his first two three-point shots of the game, and his efficiency was important with the Cornhuskers hitting their first three shots of the game. It gave the Buckeyes an early lead, albeit a short-lived advantage with the Cornhuskers responding with 13 of the next 15 points.
Nebraska Fans Stay Classy
In the second half of the first period, the Buckeyes faced two quick injuries taking players out of the game for additional care. First, forward Sean Stewart received an elbow to the face from forward Juwan Gary on a follow through under the basket. Then, forward Devin Royal and forward Andrew Morgan collided under the basket, with the Cornhusker Morgan landing on Royal’s ankle.
Both times, the Nebraska faithful actively booed the two injured Buckeyes, as if the injuries somehow stopped the Cornhuskers.
Stewart was able to return to the game shortly, but Royal did not return until the start of the second half. After going to the locker room for some time, he came back to the bench and watched the final seven or so minutes from the pine.
Parrish Takes Over
The former San Diego State and Oakland forward has been hit or miss in the scoring column in his final year of NCAA basketball, but not in the first half. Parrish’s 14 points in the first half paced all Ohio State scorers. In the hot streak, it seemed like Parrish could do no wrong, including one play where the graduate senior stole the ball, went on a fast break and then earned an and-one after forcing contact on a made layup. Nebraska’s Rollie Worster was called for the foul.
First Half Defense
Entering the game, Nebraska’s leading scorer Williams was on a tear, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting with five rebounds, but the Buckeye defense played so well against the rest of the Cornhuskers that it didn’t bury the visitors.
The rest of Nebraska shot 7-of-17 in the first half.
Parrish Hits Career Mark
With 13 minutes remaining in the second half, Parrish’s hot shooting hand continued, and the graduate’s basket was representative of how important he was to the Buckeyes on Sunday. Following a missed layup by Royal, Parrish grabbed the offensive rebound and battled through three Nebraska defenders in the paint to hit a layup.
It gave Parrish 23 points, eclipsing his previous single game career high of 22 points scored in the Buckeyes’ upset win of the Purdue Boilermakers on Jan. 21.
Nebraska’s Run
After strong defense in the first half, Nebraska broke through in the second half, going on an 11-point run for four and a half minutes. It swung the Buckeyes’ lead into a seven-point Cornhusker advantage.
While Mobley ended the run, also becoming only the second player to score for Ohio State in over half of the second period, the Cornhuskers hit a three in response to keep the lead strong, requiring another comeback for the Buckeyes if they hoped to continue their current form of four wins in the last five games.
Big Mobley and Parrish Moments
After Mobley hit a midrange jumper, the freshman scored his fourth three of the contest, which motivated Parrish to do the same. Alone on the wing, Nebraska tried to close out the graduate senior but Parrish stayed patient, let the Cornhusker jump past him and hit a crucial shot from beyond the arc for Ohio State mens hoops.
Out of the Nebraska timeout to slow down the pair, Parrish played lockdown defense on starting guard Rollie Worster when he tried to go to the basket but Parrish stuck with it, knocking the ball away and requiring a Cornhusker timeout with just over a second remaining on the shot clock. The play ended with a shot clock violation.
Two Isn’t Enough
Parrish and Mobley scored 49 of the Buckeyes’ 69 points in the loss, with only six points of the second half not coming from one of the two. The lack of offensive diversity for Ohio State meant added attention on the two and nobody ended up saving the Scarlet and Gray, with Thornton adding one made free throw and five points for Evan Mahaffey.
What’s Next
Ohio State (14-10, 6-7) returns home for three games at the Schottenstein Center in eight days. It begins with the Washington Huskies, a team the Buckeyes have only played once in their program histories, ending in a 77-66 win for Ohio State.
Then The Rivalry renews when the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines head to Columbus on Sunday in the lone matchup in the regular season between the sides.
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LGHL West Coast swing revealed sizable gap between Ohio State women and Big Ten’s top tier
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West Coast swing revealed sizable gap between Ohio State women and Big Ten’s top tier
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The issues that haunted the Buckeyes against the Trojans, and a player who can bring them out of it.
Traveling to Los Angeles, California to play two top teams in the nation is no easy task, which Ohio State women’s basketball learned firsthand last week. The Buckeyes returned home to Columbus following two games where the Scarlet and Gray didn’t only fall, but fall hard.
After double-digit defeats to the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and No. 7 USC Trojans, the Buckeyes play four of their last six games regular season games at home, but it can’t be the same side returning home. These two defeats showed that there is a sizable gap between the two top teams in the Big Ten and Ohio State.
Against the Bruins on Wednesday, things went ok for Ohio State for three of four quarters. Defensively, UCLA had trouble scoring on the Buckeyes but offensively the Scarlet and Gray struggled. Shots were there for the taking but didn’t fall with any sort of regularity.
Saturday night was a different story with USC’s defense. The Trojans played strong man coverage and with the home side’s size and defensive pressure, the Buckeyes didn’t have nearly the same number of open looks as they did further north against the Bruins.
Ohio State went into the game hoping to be multidimensional on offense. Teams expect the Buckeyes to attack the basket with forward Cotie McMahon and guard Jaloni Cambridge, but instead, it was forward Ajae Petty starting the game strong under the basket. Petty received passes and took on USC defenders one-on-one, scoring eight first-half points.
“When we played Wednesday night, we took a lot of jump shots and a lot of drives we didn’t get a lot of post-ups,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “It’s hard because Betts is so big and protects the rim and so we just wanted to challenge them around the basket a little bit just to see you know if we could get some some easy shots just because we really hadn’t gotten a lot here recently.”
The inside game didn't open up much on the outside. USC didn’t send another player to help defend Petty, and Ohio State shot 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in the first half. Not only was the offense not there for the second game in a row, but the Buckeyes were giving away possessions to the Trojans.
In terms of turnovers, Ohio State forced 23 for the second game in a row but didn’t convert them consistently into points. What especially hurt was a lack of activity on the boards.
USC outrebounded the Buckeyes 62-30, resulting in 18 second-chance points for the Trojans compared to none for Ohio State. The Trojans had three starters earn double-doubles, and the other two starters each had eight a piece. Look at the rebounds for the Buckeyes only two players even reached five rebounds and they were Cambridge, who stands at 5-foot-7, and guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry.
“We got our ass kicked on boards,” said McGuff. “if we’re not going to compete and fight better than that we’re not going to be a team like USC.”
When a shot clanged off the backboard or the rim, there were normally two to three Trojans ready to go for the ball. Ohio State failed to crash the boards as a group or try to make it difficult for the home side to get into position. Instead, they left Petty. and fellow bigs Elsa Lemmilä and Eboni Walker on their own to fend for themselves.
Offensively, McGuff’s side mostly abandoned what made them effective in the first place. Outside of not converting turnovers to points, the half-court offense lacked any sort of bite. When things stopped working, plays broke down.
“When things didn’t go right we kind of just started playing ‘me ball’ and a little bit of one-on-one and just that’s just not what we do,” said McMahon. “Our system is very move-the-ball from side to side and then get what’s easy, get what’s cut like what comes to us.”
That wasn’t happening, leading to an even worse shooting performance than Wednesday, with the Buckeyes matching the season-low 29.4% shooting they sunk to against UCLA.
Overall, Ohio State struggled for 40 minutes on their way to an 84-63 defeat to a team ranked just one spot above them nationally. The idea that in every loss there’s a lesson means there’s a lot of studying to be done for Ohio State before they get back onto the court Thursday, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
There was a bright spot on the team, and that was Thierry's play. The senior led the team with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Also, defensively, Thierry was the catalyst behind a tough night for USC guard JuJu Watkins.
In three quarters, Thierry held Watkins to 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting from the floor, with six of those points coming from the free-throw line. Thierry was aggressive, resulting in some fouls, but the usual pearl-clutching that comes with stars like Watkins getting fouled narrative doesn’t work considering Thierry was fouled more times than the superstar sophomore. Including a strong hack from Watkins from behind on a fast break.
Regardless, Thierry showed what happens when the team sticks to what they know and what is expected of them on the court.
“I mean her actions just speak louder than words,” said McMahon. “I mean she’s been doing this like I said for four years, so her just doing what she’s doing is just very impactful because I mean people just if they don’t want to, they should want to follow in TT’s footsteps because I’m telling you she almost does everything right. So, I feel like her just continuing doing what she’s doing and then me continuing to push my teammates into just trusting the process I feel like we’ll go along with it.”
Should the team follow McMahon’s advice, there are six games ahead that the Buckeyes can win. If Ohio State can do that, it will ensure that the program earns a top-four spot in the Big Ten Tournament, meaning a bye into the quarterfinals.
Sitting below McGuff’s side in the standings are three teams in their next six who are within 1.5 games of Ohio State’s current third-place position. Including the Michigan State Spartans and Maryland Terrapins that sit just below the Buckeyes in the standings.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The issues that haunted the Buckeyes against the Trojans, and a player who can bring them out of it.
Traveling to Los Angeles, California to play two top teams in the nation is no easy task, which Ohio State women’s basketball learned firsthand last week. The Buckeyes returned home to Columbus following two games where the Scarlet and Gray didn’t only fall, but fall hard.
After double-digit defeats to the No. 1 UCLA Bruins and No. 7 USC Trojans, the Buckeyes play four of their last six games regular season games at home, but it can’t be the same side returning home. These two defeats showed that there is a sizable gap between the two top teams in the Big Ten and Ohio State.
Against the Bruins on Wednesday, things went ok for Ohio State for three of four quarters. Defensively, UCLA had trouble scoring on the Buckeyes but offensively the Scarlet and Gray struggled. Shots were there for the taking but didn’t fall with any sort of regularity.
Saturday night was a different story with USC’s defense. The Trojans played strong man coverage and with the home side’s size and defensive pressure, the Buckeyes didn’t have nearly the same number of open looks as they did further north against the Bruins.
Ohio State went into the game hoping to be multidimensional on offense. Teams expect the Buckeyes to attack the basket with forward Cotie McMahon and guard Jaloni Cambridge, but instead, it was forward Ajae Petty starting the game strong under the basket. Petty received passes and took on USC defenders one-on-one, scoring eight first-half points.
“When we played Wednesday night, we took a lot of jump shots and a lot of drives we didn’t get a lot of post-ups,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “It’s hard because Betts is so big and protects the rim and so we just wanted to challenge them around the basket a little bit just to see you know if we could get some some easy shots just because we really hadn’t gotten a lot here recently.”
The inside game didn't open up much on the outside. USC didn’t send another player to help defend Petty, and Ohio State shot 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in the first half. Not only was the offense not there for the second game in a row, but the Buckeyes were giving away possessions to the Trojans.
In terms of turnovers, Ohio State forced 23 for the second game in a row but didn’t convert them consistently into points. What especially hurt was a lack of activity on the boards.
USC outrebounded the Buckeyes 62-30, resulting in 18 second-chance points for the Trojans compared to none for Ohio State. The Trojans had three starters earn double-doubles, and the other two starters each had eight a piece. Look at the rebounds for the Buckeyes only two players even reached five rebounds and they were Cambridge, who stands at 5-foot-7, and guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry.
“We got our ass kicked on boards,” said McGuff. “if we’re not going to compete and fight better than that we’re not going to be a team like USC.”
When a shot clanged off the backboard or the rim, there were normally two to three Trojans ready to go for the ball. Ohio State failed to crash the boards as a group or try to make it difficult for the home side to get into position. Instead, they left Petty. and fellow bigs Elsa Lemmilä and Eboni Walker on their own to fend for themselves.
Offensively, McGuff’s side mostly abandoned what made them effective in the first place. Outside of not converting turnovers to points, the half-court offense lacked any sort of bite. When things stopped working, plays broke down.
“When things didn’t go right we kind of just started playing ‘me ball’ and a little bit of one-on-one and just that’s just not what we do,” said McMahon. “Our system is very move-the-ball from side to side and then get what’s easy, get what’s cut like what comes to us.”
That wasn’t happening, leading to an even worse shooting performance than Wednesday, with the Buckeyes matching the season-low 29.4% shooting they sunk to against UCLA.
Overall, Ohio State struggled for 40 minutes on their way to an 84-63 defeat to a team ranked just one spot above them nationally. The idea that in every loss there’s a lesson means there’s a lot of studying to be done for Ohio State before they get back onto the court Thursday, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
There was a bright spot on the team, and that was Thierry's play. The senior led the team with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Also, defensively, Thierry was the catalyst behind a tough night for USC guard JuJu Watkins.
In three quarters, Thierry held Watkins to 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting from the floor, with six of those points coming from the free-throw line. Thierry was aggressive, resulting in some fouls, but the usual pearl-clutching that comes with stars like Watkins getting fouled narrative doesn’t work considering Thierry was fouled more times than the superstar sophomore. Including a strong hack from Watkins from behind on a fast break.
Regardless, Thierry showed what happens when the team sticks to what they know and what is expected of them on the court.
“I mean her actions just speak louder than words,” said McMahon. “I mean she’s been doing this like I said for four years, so her just doing what she’s doing is just very impactful because I mean people just if they don’t want to, they should want to follow in TT’s footsteps because I’m telling you she almost does everything right. So, I feel like her just continuing doing what she’s doing and then me continuing to push my teammates into just trusting the process I feel like we’ll go along with it.”
Should the team follow McMahon’s advice, there are six games ahead that the Buckeyes can win. If Ohio State can do that, it will ensure that the program earns a top-four spot in the Big Ten Tournament, meaning a bye into the quarterfinals.
Sitting below McGuff’s side in the standings are three teams in their next six who are within 1.5 games of Ohio State’s current third-place position. Including the Michigan State Spartans and Maryland Terrapins that sit just below the Buckeyes in the standings.
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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Nebraska: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Nebraska: Game preview and prediction
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images
Before the nation turns their eyes to the Super Bowl, Ohio State and Nebraska square off in Lincoln this afternoon.
Following Thursday’s thrilling win in Columbus over Maryland, Ohio State hits the road this afternoon to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. The Buckeyes are coming off a 73-70 win over Maryland on Thursday night, with Bruce Thornton recording his third 30-point game of the season.
Jake Diebler’s team dug themselves a hole early in the game, trailing by 17 points in the first half. By the time the teams made their way back to the locker room for halftime, the Buckeyes had cut a little bit off of Maryland’s lead, trailing 41-32.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25866216/usa_today_25358381.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Thornton had one of the best performances of his Ohio State career in the comeback win on Thursday night, finishing with 31 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. The guard scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half, and was massive down the stretch for the Buckeyes, outscoring the Terrapins 17-9 over the final seven minutes of the game.
With his scoring output, Thornton now sits 30th in school history with 1,328 career points. If Thornton scores eight points today, he’ll pass Jim Cleamons on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list, and 11 points will move him past Marc Loving for 28th-most in school history.
The only other Buckeye to reach double figures in scoring on Thursday night was Micah Parrish, who finished with 13 points, putting him at exactly 1,500 career points. The game was a nice bounce-back performance for Parrish after he scored just four points in last Sunday’s loss to Illinois, snapping his four-game streak of scoring at least 10 points.
Entering today’s game, Parrish is fourth on the team in scoring this season, averaging 11.3 points per game.
Even though he wasn’t very active on the offensive end against the Terrapins, Devin Royal came up big defensively, pulling down 11 rebounds in the victory. The board work by Royal marked the fourth time this season where he grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game. With 7.5 rebounds per game this season, Royal is the team’s leading rebounder.
The work Royal put in on Thursday was even more crucial since the Buckeyes were not only without Aaron Bradshaw. Sean Stewart was saddled with foul trouble, committing five fouls in just 16 minutes.
One player who has struggled with his shot lately is John Mobley Jr. Despite scoring 20 points in last Sunday’s loss to Illinois, Mobley was just 6-of-21 from the field. The freshman shot even worse on Thursday night, finishing with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Diebler likely wanted to limit Mobley’s minutes as the season went on to keep him fresher later in the season, but the Buckeyes were thrown for a loop when Meechie Johnson Jr. left the team in December to deal with some personal matters, thrusting Mobley into playing more since Ohio State doesn’t have a lot of depth at guard. Over the last four games, Mobley has played at least 32 minutes in each of those contests.
This afternoon’s opponent for Ohio State is the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who the Buckeyes hold a 21-7 edge in the series all-time, including winning 17 of the 22 games the teams have played since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. Last year the teams split their two regular season meetings, with the Cornhuskers winning 83-69 in Lincoln in January, followed by a 78-69 win by the Buckeyes in Columbus in late February.
The win by Ohio State snapped a three-game losing streak against Nebraska. In the January meeting, a migraine forced Bruce Thornton to miss the only game of his college career.
The Cornhuskers enter today’s game riding a three-game winning streak. The last time Nebraska took the court was on Wednesday out in Seattle against Washington. Fred Hoiberg’s team got off to a slow start, trailing the Huskies 47-37 at halftime. Whatever Hoiberg said to his team at the break worked, as the Cornhuskers opened up the second half on a 15-2 run to take the lead.
Brice Williams scored a team-high 23 points, while Juwan Gary added 17 points and seven rebounds. Connor Essegian scored 16 points off the bench, and is averaging 11.3 points per game, making the Wisconsin transfer one of two players in the Big Ten to average double digits while starting five or less games.
The straw that stirs the drink that is the Nebraska offense has been Brice Williams. Over the last three games, Williams is averaging 26 points per game, while grabbing 5.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.6 assists. For the season, Williams is averaging 19.2 points per game.
With his 23 points in the win over Washington on Wednesday, Williams and his father, Henry, became the seventh father-son duo in college basketball to combine for 4,000 career points. Henry scored 2,383 points during his career at Charlotte, while Brice now has 1,697 points during his time at Charlotte and Nebraska.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25866224/usa_today_24887688.jpg "NCAA Basketball: North Florida at Nebraska")
Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Along with Williams, Juwan Gary has had a strong season for the Cornhuskers, averaging 12.9 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. After starting his college career at Alabama, Gary transferred to Nebraska following his second season in Tuscaloosa. Gary has increased his scoring in each of his three seasons in Lincoln, and recently notched his 1,000th career point.
Today’s game will mark just the second game against Ohio State Gary has appeared in since transferring to Nebraska. The forward missed the majority of the Big Ten schedule during the 2022-23 season due to injury, followed by being sidelined for a few weeks last year in January. In the February loss to Ohio State, Gary scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
Down on the block, Devin Royal will be battling with Andrew Morgan and Berke Buyuktuncel. Morgan is averaging 8.0 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Buyuktuncel is adding 6.9 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. The duo has helped to fill the void left by Rienk Mast, who suffered a knee injury in the offseason and is sidelined for the 2024-25 campaign.
Even though Morgan and Buyuktuncel won’t blow opponents away with their scoring presence, they give Fred Hoiberg tough minutes and do a lot of the dirty work in the paint.
Rounding out the Cornhuskers who should see a good chunk of time on the floor this afternoon are guards Rollie Worster and Sam Hoiberg. Hoiberg started his college career at Utah State before transferring to Utah, spending three seasons in Salt Lake City. Worster has started 19 of 23 games this year, averaging 8.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per contest, and 2.8 assists per game. Hoiberg is the coach’s son and sees around 20 minutes of playing time per game.
Ohio State winning this afternoon will be good news for Philadelphia Eagles fans. The Buckeyes are 3-3 when playing on Super Bowl Sunday, but all three times Ohio State has won on the day of the NFL’s biggest game, the team from the NFC has gone on to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
The last time the Buckeyes played on Super Bowl Sunday was in 2023 when they lost to Michigan State 62-41. Kansas City and Philadelphia also met up later that evening, with the Chiefs winning 38-35.
Both these teams have put together some good basketball over the last few weeks, working their way back into contention for spots in the NCAA Tournament. It’s not going to be easy for Ohio State to go into Lincoln and earn a victory, as the Cornhuskers are 9-2 this year when playing at home.
Then again, it’s not like the Buckeyes don’t have experience going into some tough environments and playing good basketball. Not only did they nearly make a miraculous comeback in the second half at Wisconsin, they halted Purdue’s lengthy winning streak in West Lafayette.
It feels like this game is going to come down to who has the better game between Bruce Thornton and Brice Williams, since both have been playing lights out basketball lately. The key is which team is going to be able to compliment their superstar better. If John Mobley Jr. can find his shot early on this afternoon, it’s going to be really tough for the Cornhuskers to defend their home court.
What Nebraska is going to have to try and do is get Devin Royal in foul trouble early and keep him off the floor since Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw have been underwhelming as Buckeyes. If the Cornhuskers can dominate the paint, then Ohio State has to hope their outside shots are falling since there isn’t much behind Royal in scarlet and gray when it comes to bigs.
While the Buckeyes have guys like Micah Parrish and Evan Mahaffey who can play bigger than what they measure, it is tough to do on the road for an extended amount of time when team depth is tested like it has been most of the season for Jake Diebler as he manages injuries and off the court issues with some players.
This has the feeling of yet another Ohio State that isn’t decided until late. At least the players and fans are used to Buckeye games coming down to the wire, and the way they have won some close games recently ends up being the difference, as Ohio State upends Nebraska in Lincoln.
ESPN BPI: Nebraska 50.8%
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images
Before the nation turns their eyes to the Super Bowl, Ohio State and Nebraska square off in Lincoln this afternoon.
Following Thursday’s thrilling win in Columbus over Maryland, Ohio State hits the road this afternoon to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. The Buckeyes are coming off a 73-70 win over Maryland on Thursday night, with Bruce Thornton recording his third 30-point game of the season.
Jake Diebler’s team dug themselves a hole early in the game, trailing by 17 points in the first half. By the time the teams made their way back to the locker room for halftime, the Buckeyes had cut a little bit off of Maryland’s lead, trailing 41-32.
Thornton had one of the best performances of his Ohio State career in the comeback win on Thursday night, finishing with 31 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. The guard scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half, and was massive down the stretch for the Buckeyes, outscoring the Terrapins 17-9 over the final seven minutes of the game.
With his scoring output, Thornton now sits 30th in school history with 1,328 career points. If Thornton scores eight points today, he’ll pass Jim Cleamons on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list, and 11 points will move him past Marc Loving for 28th-most in school history.
The only other Buckeye to reach double figures in scoring on Thursday night was Micah Parrish, who finished with 13 points, putting him at exactly 1,500 career points. The game was a nice bounce-back performance for Parrish after he scored just four points in last Sunday’s loss to Illinois, snapping his four-game streak of scoring at least 10 points.
Entering today’s game, Parrish is fourth on the team in scoring this season, averaging 11.3 points per game.
Even though he wasn’t very active on the offensive end against the Terrapins, Devin Royal came up big defensively, pulling down 11 rebounds in the victory. The board work by Royal marked the fourth time this season where he grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game. With 7.5 rebounds per game this season, Royal is the team’s leading rebounder.
The work Royal put in on Thursday was even more crucial since the Buckeyes were not only without Aaron Bradshaw. Sean Stewart was saddled with foul trouble, committing five fouls in just 16 minutes.
One player who has struggled with his shot lately is John Mobley Jr. Despite scoring 20 points in last Sunday’s loss to Illinois, Mobley was just 6-of-21 from the field. The freshman shot even worse on Thursday night, finishing with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Diebler likely wanted to limit Mobley’s minutes as the season went on to keep him fresher later in the season, but the Buckeyes were thrown for a loop when Meechie Johnson Jr. left the team in December to deal with some personal matters, thrusting Mobley into playing more since Ohio State doesn’t have a lot of depth at guard. Over the last four games, Mobley has played at least 32 minutes in each of those contests.
Preview
This afternoon’s opponent for Ohio State is the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who the Buckeyes hold a 21-7 edge in the series all-time, including winning 17 of the 22 games the teams have played since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. Last year the teams split their two regular season meetings, with the Cornhuskers winning 83-69 in Lincoln in January, followed by a 78-69 win by the Buckeyes in Columbus in late February.
The win by Ohio State snapped a three-game losing streak against Nebraska. In the January meeting, a migraine forced Bruce Thornton to miss the only game of his college career.
The Cornhuskers enter today’s game riding a three-game winning streak. The last time Nebraska took the court was on Wednesday out in Seattle against Washington. Fred Hoiberg’s team got off to a slow start, trailing the Huskies 47-37 at halftime. Whatever Hoiberg said to his team at the break worked, as the Cornhuskers opened up the second half on a 15-2 run to take the lead.
Brice Williams scored a team-high 23 points, while Juwan Gary added 17 points and seven rebounds. Connor Essegian scored 16 points off the bench, and is averaging 11.3 points per game, making the Wisconsin transfer one of two players in the Big Ten to average double digits while starting five or less games.
The straw that stirs the drink that is the Nebraska offense has been Brice Williams. Over the last three games, Williams is averaging 26 points per game, while grabbing 5.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.6 assists. For the season, Williams is averaging 19.2 points per game.
With his 23 points in the win over Washington on Wednesday, Williams and his father, Henry, became the seventh father-son duo in college basketball to combine for 4,000 career points. Henry scored 2,383 points during his career at Charlotte, while Brice now has 1,697 points during his time at Charlotte and Nebraska.
Along with Williams, Juwan Gary has had a strong season for the Cornhuskers, averaging 12.9 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. After starting his college career at Alabama, Gary transferred to Nebraska following his second season in Tuscaloosa. Gary has increased his scoring in each of his three seasons in Lincoln, and recently notched his 1,000th career point.
Today’s game will mark just the second game against Ohio State Gary has appeared in since transferring to Nebraska. The forward missed the majority of the Big Ten schedule during the 2022-23 season due to injury, followed by being sidelined for a few weeks last year in January. In the February loss to Ohio State, Gary scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
Down on the block, Devin Royal will be battling with Andrew Morgan and Berke Buyuktuncel. Morgan is averaging 8.0 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Buyuktuncel is adding 6.9 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. The duo has helped to fill the void left by Rienk Mast, who suffered a knee injury in the offseason and is sidelined for the 2024-25 campaign.
Even though Morgan and Buyuktuncel won’t blow opponents away with their scoring presence, they give Fred Hoiberg tough minutes and do a lot of the dirty work in the paint.
Rounding out the Cornhuskers who should see a good chunk of time on the floor this afternoon are guards Rollie Worster and Sam Hoiberg. Hoiberg started his college career at Utah State before transferring to Utah, spending three seasons in Salt Lake City. Worster has started 19 of 23 games this year, averaging 8.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per contest, and 2.8 assists per game. Hoiberg is the coach’s son and sees around 20 minutes of playing time per game.
Prediction
Ohio State winning this afternoon will be good news for Philadelphia Eagles fans. The Buckeyes are 3-3 when playing on Super Bowl Sunday, but all three times Ohio State has won on the day of the NFL’s biggest game, the team from the NFC has gone on to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
The last time the Buckeyes played on Super Bowl Sunday was in 2023 when they lost to Michigan State 62-41. Kansas City and Philadelphia also met up later that evening, with the Chiefs winning 38-35.
Both these teams have put together some good basketball over the last few weeks, working their way back into contention for spots in the NCAA Tournament. It’s not going to be easy for Ohio State to go into Lincoln and earn a victory, as the Cornhuskers are 9-2 this year when playing at home.
Then again, it’s not like the Buckeyes don’t have experience going into some tough environments and playing good basketball. Not only did they nearly make a miraculous comeback in the second half at Wisconsin, they halted Purdue’s lengthy winning streak in West Lafayette.
It feels like this game is going to come down to who has the better game between Bruce Thornton and Brice Williams, since both have been playing lights out basketball lately. The key is which team is going to be able to compliment their superstar better. If John Mobley Jr. can find his shot early on this afternoon, it’s going to be really tough for the Cornhuskers to defend their home court.
What Nebraska is going to have to try and do is get Devin Royal in foul trouble early and keep him off the floor since Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw have been underwhelming as Buckeyes. If the Cornhuskers can dominate the paint, then Ohio State has to hope their outside shots are falling since there isn’t much behind Royal in scarlet and gray when it comes to bigs.
While the Buckeyes have guys like Micah Parrish and Evan Mahaffey who can play bigger than what they measure, it is tough to do on the road for an extended amount of time when team depth is tested like it has been most of the season for Jake Diebler as he manages injuries and off the court issues with some players.
This has the feeling of yet another Ohio State that isn’t decided until late. At least the players and fans are used to Buckeye games coming down to the wire, and the way they have won some close games recently ends up being the difference, as Ohio State upends Nebraska in Lincoln.
ESPN BPI: Nebraska 50.8%
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 74, Nebraska 70
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