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LGHL Ohio State uses blazing hot start to race past Penn State, 79-67
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Ohio State uses blazing hot start to race past Penn State, 79-67
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes blitzed Penn State with a 16-0 run to start the game and never looked back.
The thing about “must-win” games that many people forget is that you actually have to win them. Or, at least the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-5, 3-4) forgot that on Monday against Michigan, when they lost to the last-place Wolverines on the road in Ann Arbor, extending their losing streak to three games. Saturday afternoon’s game against Penn State (9-10, 3-5) was a self-billed must-win game after sophomore guard Roddy Gayle called it as much on Friday afternoon.
“It’s extremely important to defend our home court. It would be an amazing turnaround for us to be able to get rolling a little bit, especially in conference play.” Gayle said. “This is a must win game for us.”
The last time these two teams faced off, Penn State overcame an 18-point second-half deficit and stunned Ohio State in the Bryce Jordan Center, 83-80. Saturdfay afternoon was a chance for the Buckeyes to even the score.
Despite recent struggles, Chris Holtmann did not deviate from the starting lineup, going with sophomores Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara alongisde senior forward Jamison Battle. Penn State went with a starting five of Kanye Clary, Ace Baldwin, Qudus Wahab, Nick Kern, and Zach Hicks.
The Buckeyes were blazing out of the game, opening things up with a 16-0 run to start the game. Gayle had Ohio State’s first four points, but after picking up a quick foul on a rebound three minutes into the game, he was pulled in favor of Dale Bonner. Gayle was out, Mahaffey took over the heavy lifting, scoring six consecutive points — which made Saturday his second-highest scoring game in 2024, just five minutes into the game.
Mike Rhoades used two of his four allotted timeouts in the first eight minutes of the game, as his Nittany Lions were doing nothing right while Ohio State was getting the ball to the basket pretty much at will. Through the first 12 minutes, Ohio State had 18 points in the paint, compared to just two for Penn State.
After missing its first 13 shots and falling behind 16-0, Penn State hit four of its next seven, getting on the scoreboard and a little more comfortable on the road. By the under-eight media timeout with 7:13 left in the first half, Ohio State’s lead stood at 24-11. Jameel Brown, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who came into this game averaging 4.2 points per game, knocked down two three-pointers to get Penn State on the board in the first half. Brown’s threes were Penn State’s first two made shots of the game.
The Buckeyes didn’t maintain that 16-point lead for the entirety of the first half, but still went into the locker room up 33-19 and feeling pretty good about themselves, especially on the defensive end. Ohio State held Penn State to 19 first-half points on 21.9% shooting, and that was despite Penn State hitting 5-of-13 of three-pointers. Ohio State really was not impressive after the opening blitz, shooting 35.6% as a team after that opening 16-0 run.
Gayle led Ohio State with 10 first-half points, while both Brown and Baldwin had six apiece for Penn State. Ohio State won the rebounding battle in the first half, 23-18.
The two squads shot an identical 40% of the first 4:44 of the second half, shooting 4-for-10. Ohio State maintained that 14-point lead into the first media timeout of the second half, sitting pretty with a 41-27 lead with 15:16 left in the game. Meanwhile, they missed three more three-pointers, meaning they’d hit 3 of their last 36, going back to the Michigan game.
The Buckeyes extended their lead out to 22 points at one point, but held firm with a 61-43 lead at the under-eight media timeout. Both teams were making shots at a higher level in the second half, but Penn State needed way more stops than they were getting if they wanted to erase that big of a deficit.
While there were some nervous murmurs in the crowd when Penn State cut the lead to nine with two minutes and some change to go , the Nittany Lions never got back within shouting range of Ohio State after getting shoved into a locker during the first seven minutes. The three-point stroke did not return for the Buckeyes, but that didn’t matter at all in a 79-67revenge win of the Nittany Lions Saturday afternoon.
If you weren’t around Saturday afternoon to catch Ohio State get back on track with a sweet victory over the Nittany Lions, here are some of the key moments and plays that caried the Buckeyes to the win:
Considering the Buckeyes are 0-1 this season in games where they author a 16-0 run, doing so was an ominous signal for today’s game, but Ohio State didn’t give a damn. Powered by Gayle and Mahaffey, the Buckeyes raced out to a scalding 16-0 lead over the first six-plus minutes of the game. Both Gayle and Mahaffey had six apiece during that run, while on the other end the Nittany Lions hit just one of their first 14 shots. Mike Rhoades used two of his four timeouts in the first eight minutes, trying to get something or anything out of his guys as the game slipped away in the opening minutes.
Gayle was shooting 6.3% from three (1-for-16) over his last four games, and has not looked confident at all letting it rip from deep. He’s asked his teammates and coaches to stick on him so that he doesn’t lose confidence, and afternoon that translated into Ohio State’s first four points of the game, and 10 in the first half for the sophomore guard.
Roddy played 14 minutes in the first half and did not attempt a three-pointer. Instead, he drove to the basket with pretty much every opportunity, knocking down four of his five shots and finishing the first half with 10 points. He did have one turnover, but after a stretch where he had three or more turnovers in seven consecutive games, just one in the opening 20 minutes was a solid showing for the sophomore.
Penn State sophomore guard Jameel Brown was averaging 4.2 points per game heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Buckeyes, and was held scoreless in seven of Penn State’s last eight games. But with his team down 16-0 early, Brown (a 38.9% three-point shooter) knocked down consecutive three-pointers to get his team on the board with 12:57 left in the first half. Brown’s threes made it 18-6 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes went into the locker room at halftime up 14 despite going 0-for-8 from three-point range in the first half, which meant they had hit exactly 3 out of 33 triples over their last three halves of basketball.
Ohio State has capable shooters on the roster, and it seems like it’s just a matter of time until those shots start to fall. But as this team’s struggles from beyond the arc continue, it’s reasonable to wonder if this is just something Chris Holtmann and the coaching staff will have to deal with for the forseeable future... 3-for-33 is a big enough sample size to wonder about it.
No Ohio State fan is ever going to forget the name Leo O’Boyle. The Penn State transfer senior, who is averaing 2.6 points per game, lit Ohio State up for 15 points when these teams met last month in State College. Since then, he’s scored 11 points over Penn State’s last eight games
O’Boyle played sparingly this afternoon against the Buckeyes, but there was a stretch early in the second half when Zed Key and Devin Royal took him to town below the basket, getting payback for what the Scranton, Pennsylvania-native did to them in December.
With Ohio State leading 50-31 and just over 12 minutes left in the game, Key had a one-on-one matchup with O’Boyle below the basket, and immediately called for the basketball. Gayle passed from the wing and found Key, who spun around, went under the outstretched arms of O’Boyle, and scored through contact. He knocked down the free throw as well, making it 53-31.
After a Penn State basket, Royal had the same matchup below the basket. He took one dribble, spun away from O’Boyle, and hit a one-legged jumper from about six feet out to make it 55-34.
Mahaffey set a new career-high Saturday afternoon with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and did it against his former team, to boot. Mahaffey also had five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
Ohio State (13-5, 3-4) has a quick turnaround after this one, as they’ll head to Lincoln on Tuesday to tangle with the upstart Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-5, 3-4). Fred Hoiberg’s team raced out to a 13-3 start to the season, which included a home win over top-ranked Purdue two weeks ago. Since then, Nebraska has lost back-to-back road games to Iowa and Rutgers, with a home date against Northwestern on the docket for Saturday afternoon.
The Buckeyes’ road match against the ‘Huskers will tip off at 7:00 and will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes blitzed Penn State with a 16-0 run to start the game and never looked back.
The thing about “must-win” games that many people forget is that you actually have to win them. Or, at least the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-5, 3-4) forgot that on Monday against Michigan, when they lost to the last-place Wolverines on the road in Ann Arbor, extending their losing streak to three games. Saturday afternoon’s game against Penn State (9-10, 3-5) was a self-billed must-win game after sophomore guard Roddy Gayle called it as much on Friday afternoon.
“It’s extremely important to defend our home court. It would be an amazing turnaround for us to be able to get rolling a little bit, especially in conference play.” Gayle said. “This is a must win game for us.”
The last time these two teams faced off, Penn State overcame an 18-point second-half deficit and stunned Ohio State in the Bryce Jordan Center, 83-80. Saturdfay afternoon was a chance for the Buckeyes to even the score.
Despite recent struggles, Chris Holtmann did not deviate from the starting lineup, going with sophomores Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara alongisde senior forward Jamison Battle. Penn State went with a starting five of Kanye Clary, Ace Baldwin, Qudus Wahab, Nick Kern, and Zach Hicks.
The Buckeyes were blazing out of the game, opening things up with a 16-0 run to start the game. Gayle had Ohio State’s first four points, but after picking up a quick foul on a rebound three minutes into the game, he was pulled in favor of Dale Bonner. Gayle was out, Mahaffey took over the heavy lifting, scoring six consecutive points — which made Saturday his second-highest scoring game in 2024, just five minutes into the game.
Mike Rhoades used two of his four allotted timeouts in the first eight minutes of the game, as his Nittany Lions were doing nothing right while Ohio State was getting the ball to the basket pretty much at will. Through the first 12 minutes, Ohio State had 18 points in the paint, compared to just two for Penn State.
After missing its first 13 shots and falling behind 16-0, Penn State hit four of its next seven, getting on the scoreboard and a little more comfortable on the road. By the under-eight media timeout with 7:13 left in the first half, Ohio State’s lead stood at 24-11. Jameel Brown, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who came into this game averaging 4.2 points per game, knocked down two three-pointers to get Penn State on the board in the first half. Brown’s threes were Penn State’s first two made shots of the game.
The Buckeyes didn’t maintain that 16-point lead for the entirety of the first half, but still went into the locker room up 33-19 and feeling pretty good about themselves, especially on the defensive end. Ohio State held Penn State to 19 first-half points on 21.9% shooting, and that was despite Penn State hitting 5-of-13 of three-pointers. Ohio State really was not impressive after the opening blitz, shooting 35.6% as a team after that opening 16-0 run.
Gayle led Ohio State with 10 first-half points, while both Brown and Baldwin had six apiece for Penn State. Ohio State won the rebounding battle in the first half, 23-18.
The two squads shot an identical 40% of the first 4:44 of the second half, shooting 4-for-10. Ohio State maintained that 14-point lead into the first media timeout of the second half, sitting pretty with a 41-27 lead with 15:16 left in the game. Meanwhile, they missed three more three-pointers, meaning they’d hit 3 of their last 36, going back to the Michigan game.
The Buckeyes extended their lead out to 22 points at one point, but held firm with a 61-43 lead at the under-eight media timeout. Both teams were making shots at a higher level in the second half, but Penn State needed way more stops than they were getting if they wanted to erase that big of a deficit.
While there were some nervous murmurs in the crowd when Penn State cut the lead to nine with two minutes and some change to go , the Nittany Lions never got back within shouting range of Ohio State after getting shoved into a locker during the first seven minutes. The three-point stroke did not return for the Buckeyes, but that didn’t matter at all in a 79-67revenge win of the Nittany Lions Saturday afternoon.
If you weren’t around Saturday afternoon to catch Ohio State get back on track with a sweet victory over the Nittany Lions, here are some of the key moments and plays that caried the Buckeyes to the win:
Ohio State lights up a 16-0 run to start the game
Considering the Buckeyes are 0-1 this season in games where they author a 16-0 run, doing so was an ominous signal for today’s game, but Ohio State didn’t give a damn. Powered by Gayle and Mahaffey, the Buckeyes raced out to a scalding 16-0 lead over the first six-plus minutes of the game. Both Gayle and Mahaffey had six apiece during that run, while on the other end the Nittany Lions hit just one of their first 14 shots. Mike Rhoades used two of his four timeouts in the first eight minutes, trying to get something or anything out of his guys as the game slipped away in the opening minutes.
Roddy Gayle, getting to the tin
Gayle was shooting 6.3% from three (1-for-16) over his last four games, and has not looked confident at all letting it rip from deep. He’s asked his teammates and coaches to stick on him so that he doesn’t lose confidence, and afternoon that translated into Ohio State’s first four points of the game, and 10 in the first half for the sophomore guard.
Roddy played 14 minutes in the first half and did not attempt a three-pointer. Instead, he drove to the basket with pretty much every opportunity, knocking down four of his five shots and finishing the first half with 10 points. He did have one turnover, but after a stretch where he had three or more turnovers in seven consecutive games, just one in the opening 20 minutes was a solid showing for the sophomore.
Jameel Brown gets Penn State on the board
Penn State sophomore guard Jameel Brown was averaging 4.2 points per game heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Buckeyes, and was held scoreless in seven of Penn State’s last eight games. But with his team down 16-0 early, Brown (a 38.9% three-point shooter) knocked down consecutive three-pointers to get his team on the board with 12:57 left in the first half. Brown’s threes made it 18-6 Ohio State.
Three-point struggles persist
The Buckeyes went into the locker room at halftime up 14 despite going 0-for-8 from three-point range in the first half, which meant they had hit exactly 3 out of 33 triples over their last three halves of basketball.
Ohio State has capable shooters on the roster, and it seems like it’s just a matter of time until those shots start to fall. But as this team’s struggles from beyond the arc continue, it’s reasonable to wonder if this is just something Chris Holtmann and the coaching staff will have to deal with for the forseeable future... 3-for-33 is a big enough sample size to wonder about it.
Key, Royal cook O’Boyle below the basket
No Ohio State fan is ever going to forget the name Leo O’Boyle. The Penn State transfer senior, who is averaing 2.6 points per game, lit Ohio State up for 15 points when these teams met last month in State College. Since then, he’s scored 11 points over Penn State’s last eight games
O’Boyle played sparingly this afternoon against the Buckeyes, but there was a stretch early in the second half when Zed Key and Devin Royal took him to town below the basket, getting payback for what the Scranton, Pennsylvania-native did to them in December.
With Ohio State leading 50-31 and just over 12 minutes left in the game, Key had a one-on-one matchup with O’Boyle below the basket, and immediately called for the basketball. Gayle passed from the wing and found Key, who spun around, went under the outstretched arms of O’Boyle, and scored through contact. He knocked down the free throw as well, making it 53-31.
After a Penn State basket, Royal had the same matchup below the basket. He took one dribble, spun away from O’Boyle, and hit a one-legged jumper from about six feet out to make it 55-34.
Mahaffey sets new career-high in scoring
Mahaffey set a new career-high Saturday afternoon with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and did it against his former team, to boot. Mahaffey also had five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
Up Next:
Ohio State (13-5, 3-4) has a quick turnaround after this one, as they’ll head to Lincoln on Tuesday to tangle with the upstart Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-5, 3-4). Fred Hoiberg’s team raced out to a 13-3 start to the season, which included a home win over top-ranked Purdue two weeks ago. Since then, Nebraska has lost back-to-back road games to Iowa and Rutgers, with a home date against Northwestern on the docket for Saturday afternoon.
The Buckeyes’ road match against the ‘Huskers will tip off at 7:00 and will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock.
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DB Cody Haddad (Official Thread)
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2025 IN DE Mariyon Dye (Tennessee Signee)
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2026 FL(OH) OL Will Conroy (Oklahoma Decommit, UNC Verbal)
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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball game preview and prediction vs. Penn State
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Ohio State men’s basketball game preview and prediction vs. Penn State
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes desperately need a win to get back on track before kicking off a two-game road trip.
In desperate need of a win to get back on track, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (12-5, 2-4) will welcome in the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-9, 3-4) to Columbus this afternoon in hopes of redeeming the Buckeyes’ loss in Happy Valley back on Dec. 9. The Buckeyes fell to Penn State 83-80 after leading 41-29 at the half, and led by 18 at one point in the second half. Penn State outscored Ohio State 54-39 in the back 20, and it became the worst loss of the season.
After defeating Rutgers to open up the new year, the Buckeyes have dropped three games in a row, and have to get back in the winning column as soon as possible so that the demons of last season do not creep into this one. Last year, the Buckeyes lost 14 Big Ten games in a 15-game stretch at one point, and finished 16-19 overall and 5-15 in the Big Ten
The 2023-24 season is not in turmoil yet, as realistically a three-game losing streak in college basketball is not the end of the world and will not bury one team. Still, the memories — or nightmares — of last season linger in all fans’ minds. Saturday is the best opportunity the team will have to get right.
Penn State is coming off a home win against No. 11 Wisconsin 87-83, giving the Badgers their first loss in Big Ten play. They were on a two-game losing streak and had lost four of their last five before the win over Wisconsin.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25238081/usa_today_22284080.jpg "Syndication: Journal-Courier")
Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
As we enter this contest, the keys to winning stand out pretty obviously for Ohio State: shoot the ball more efficiently, and guard Penn State guards better than in the first contest.
Against Indiana, the Buckeyes shot 7-for-27 from deep, and players that weren’t named Jamison Battle were 2-for-17. It was the same story against Wisconsin, as the team shot 6-for-18, and players not named Jamison Battle shot 2-for-13. Against Michigan, nobody shot the ball well, as the Buckeyes were 3-for-25 from three, and Jamison Battle was 1-for-8.
For the people keeping track at home, that is 16-for-70 over the last three games, which is 22.8 percent... 23 percent if you round up. That is not winning you many ball games.
After the Michigan game, Bruce Thornton spoke about the Buckeyes shooting struggles.
“It’s a way different ballgame when you’re making shots and when you’re missing shots,” Thornton said. “It’s a make-or-miss league for this league. It’s a make-or-miss league for a lot of power-five and mid-major leagues because if you make shots, the whole tenor of the game is different.”
Chris Holtmann remained positive about the Buckeyes’ 14 remaining games even through the recent struggles.
“Listen, you guys will see it,” Holtmann said after the Michigan loss. “You guys, obviously, can write about a three-game losing streak right now. But our story is far from over. You’ll see what this group can turn into. Not many people are gonna feel that right now, but I certainly do. I know our staff does. And I know a lot of the guys in the locker room do.”
Bruce Thornton comes into this one as the Buckeye’s leading scorer at 16.8 points per game, while Jamison Battle is second on the team at 14.6 points per game, and Roddy Gayle is third on the team at 14.1 points per game.
Thornton also averages 4.2 assists, Battle averages 5.4 rebounds, and Gayle averages 4.1 rebounds. Battle has been one of the best shooters in the conference and the country, shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range on 6.9 attempts per game.
Felix Okpara has been a reliable contributor as well, averaging 6.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. In the previous game against Penn State, the Buckeye’s big men Okpara and Zed Key both had solid games, with Okpara recording nine points and eight rebounds on 4-for-5 shooting and Key recording a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds on 4-for-7 shooting.
Penn State is also led by guards, with Kanye Clary averaging 19.1 points and Ace Baldwin averaging 13.2 points per game. In the first contest last month, Clary, Baldwin and D’Marco Dunn combined for 44 of the Nittany Lions’ 83 points. The Buckeyes will need to slow down those guards in order to win this one.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25238080/usa_today_22298287.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Ohio State at Michigan")
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
This one Is simple for the Buckeyes — It is a must-win. If Ohio State drops this one, you can chalk this season up to another disappointing campaign that will very likely end in a missed tournament.
On the bright side, I do not believe that will happen. Penn State is coming off a win against Wisconsin, but that was in Happy Valley, and this one is in Columbus.
Roddy Gayle and Bruce Thornton have been struggling, and as the Buckeyes two leading contributors, that has been the main reason for the slump. But these talented players only slump for a bit and will get back on track; This is the game to do that. I think Gayle has a big game in this one, breaking his recent struggles trend and guiding the Buckeyes to a key victory.
The three-point shooting has been a problem for Ohio State, and Penn State is 10th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten in three-point defense. This is a great chance for the Buckeyes to get some open looks and break the shooting slump.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 81.5%
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes desperately need a win to get back on track before kicking off a two-game road trip.
In desperate need of a win to get back on track, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (12-5, 2-4) will welcome in the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-9, 3-4) to Columbus this afternoon in hopes of redeeming the Buckeyes’ loss in Happy Valley back on Dec. 9. The Buckeyes fell to Penn State 83-80 after leading 41-29 at the half, and led by 18 at one point in the second half. Penn State outscored Ohio State 54-39 in the back 20, and it became the worst loss of the season.
After defeating Rutgers to open up the new year, the Buckeyes have dropped three games in a row, and have to get back in the winning column as soon as possible so that the demons of last season do not creep into this one. Last year, the Buckeyes lost 14 Big Ten games in a 15-game stretch at one point, and finished 16-19 overall and 5-15 in the Big Ten
The 2023-24 season is not in turmoil yet, as realistically a three-game losing streak in college basketball is not the end of the world and will not bury one team. Still, the memories — or nightmares — of last season linger in all fans’ minds. Saturday is the best opportunity the team will have to get right.
Penn State is coming off a home win against No. 11 Wisconsin 87-83, giving the Badgers their first loss in Big Ten play. They were on a two-game losing streak and had lost four of their last five before the win over Wisconsin.
Preview
As we enter this contest, the keys to winning stand out pretty obviously for Ohio State: shoot the ball more efficiently, and guard Penn State guards better than in the first contest.
Against Indiana, the Buckeyes shot 7-for-27 from deep, and players that weren’t named Jamison Battle were 2-for-17. It was the same story against Wisconsin, as the team shot 6-for-18, and players not named Jamison Battle shot 2-for-13. Against Michigan, nobody shot the ball well, as the Buckeyes were 3-for-25 from three, and Jamison Battle was 1-for-8.
For the people keeping track at home, that is 16-for-70 over the last three games, which is 22.8 percent... 23 percent if you round up. That is not winning you many ball games.
After the Michigan game, Bruce Thornton spoke about the Buckeyes shooting struggles.
“It’s a way different ballgame when you’re making shots and when you’re missing shots,” Thornton said. “It’s a make-or-miss league for this league. It’s a make-or-miss league for a lot of power-five and mid-major leagues because if you make shots, the whole tenor of the game is different.”
Chris Holtmann remained positive about the Buckeyes’ 14 remaining games even through the recent struggles.
“Listen, you guys will see it,” Holtmann said after the Michigan loss. “You guys, obviously, can write about a three-game losing streak right now. But our story is far from over. You’ll see what this group can turn into. Not many people are gonna feel that right now, but I certainly do. I know our staff does. And I know a lot of the guys in the locker room do.”
Bruce Thornton comes into this one as the Buckeye’s leading scorer at 16.8 points per game, while Jamison Battle is second on the team at 14.6 points per game, and Roddy Gayle is third on the team at 14.1 points per game.
Thornton also averages 4.2 assists, Battle averages 5.4 rebounds, and Gayle averages 4.1 rebounds. Battle has been one of the best shooters in the conference and the country, shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range on 6.9 attempts per game.
Felix Okpara has been a reliable contributor as well, averaging 6.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. In the previous game against Penn State, the Buckeye’s big men Okpara and Zed Key both had solid games, with Okpara recording nine points and eight rebounds on 4-for-5 shooting and Key recording a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds on 4-for-7 shooting.
Penn State is also led by guards, with Kanye Clary averaging 19.1 points and Ace Baldwin averaging 13.2 points per game. In the first contest last month, Clary, Baldwin and D’Marco Dunn combined for 44 of the Nittany Lions’ 83 points. The Buckeyes will need to slow down those guards in order to win this one.
Prediction
This one Is simple for the Buckeyes — It is a must-win. If Ohio State drops this one, you can chalk this season up to another disappointing campaign that will very likely end in a missed tournament.
On the bright side, I do not believe that will happen. Penn State is coming off a win against Wisconsin, but that was in Happy Valley, and this one is in Columbus.
Roddy Gayle and Bruce Thornton have been struggling, and as the Buckeyes two leading contributors, that has been the main reason for the slump. But these talented players only slump for a bit and will get back on track; This is the game to do that. I think Gayle has a big game in this one, breaking his recent struggles trend and guiding the Buckeyes to a key victory.
The three-point shooting has been a problem for Ohio State, and Penn State is 10th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten in three-point defense. This is a great chance for the Buckeyes to get some open looks and break the shooting slump.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 81.5%
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
LGHL Score Prediction: Ohio State 82, Penn State 72
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