Brandon Zimmerman
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Basketball Preview: Mercer Bears
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The season was supposed to be a complete waste. It was simply a season where we all watched the young talent and tried to come up with an idea of how the 2016-2017 season would look. Sure, we received great news when all-everything freshman forward Mickey Mitchell got word that he could now play, but Saturday was supposed to be a complete annihilation of our basketball team. Luckily for us, the game was actually played and this collection of very talented young athletes put everything together and knocked off the #4 Kentucky Wildcats.
Now we are in this weird position where, as a fan base, we are cautiously optimistic about the current season. Will there be a let-down or will the promise the team showed on Saturday transition seamlessly into the Tuesday game against Mercer and continue into March?
WHAT OHIO STATE BRINGS
The Buckeyes come into Tuesdays match-up with a 6-5 record and riding high off of a seven point victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. The big difference for the Buckeyes on Saturday was the play of their two big men down low. Sophomore Trevor Thompson got the start and played his best game of the season, scoring 10 points and adding five blocks and five rebounds. Freshman Daniel Giddens added six points and three rebounds off of the bench but his hustle is what set him apart. Play after play, Giddens was willing to give up his body as he lay out to put forward his best effort.
As a team, the Buckeyes shot 40.6% from the field and 50% from behind the three-point line. Sophomore Keita Bates-Diop played a tough 39 minutes and gave the team 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. The team grandpa, junior Marc Loving, added 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Je’Sean Tate added 10 rebounds from his power forward position.
On the season, Loving leads the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game, Tate leads the team with 7 rebounds per game, and freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle leads the team with 4.5 assists per game.
WHAT MERCER BRINGS
The Mercer Bears come to Columbus with a 9-2 record and coming off of a three point victory of Arkansas. Their two losses on the season have come at the hands of Davidson and Auburn. Against Arkansas, the Bears battled their way into overtime before knocking off the Razorbacks and giving the team a much needed win over a power-5 foe. Senior guard Jestin Lewis paced the Bears with 21 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Stephon Jelks added 20 points and a Dennis Rodman-like 15 rebounds in the contest.
Much like Ohio State, the Bears are a very long and athletic team as they have seven players on their roster who are over 6’6”. They have six upper classmen and this program is not afraid to take on big name teams. Many of us can still remember Mercer knocking off Duke to the delight on everyone in the United States.
For the season, Lewis leads the team in scoring averaging 12.6 points per game, Jelks leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game, and senior point guard Phillip Leonard leads the team with 4.7 assists per game.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
Mercer
Name Height Weight Class Pos
Desmond Ringer 6’9” 255 SO F
Stephon Jelks 6’6” 225 SO F
Jestin Lewis 6’1” 170 SO G
Phillip Leonard 6’2” 200 SR G
Demetre Rivers 6’8” 180 SO G
Ohio State
Name Height Weight Class Pos
Jae’Sean Tate 6’4” 225 SO F
Trevor Thompson 6’11” 250 SO F/C
Marc Loving 6’7” 220 JR G/F
Keita Bates-Diop 6’7” 235 SO G/F
JaQuan Lyle 6’5” 210 FR G
PREDICTION
Ohio State should have a renewed sense of purpose after the big win on Saturday. The biggest key for the Buckeyes, and has been the case over the past couple of years, is whether they get consistent production from their center position. Both Thompson and Giddens played their hearts out on Saturday and showed what they are capable of.
If they can get consistent play from those two, guys like Bates-Diop and Tate will be left open to clean up things down low for easy buckets. As the season continues to develop, I also think we will see more of freshman point guard A.J. Harris as he is the only true point guard on the team and will be needed as the Big Ten season comes around.
In this game, Ohio State will be able to ride the high of the Kentucky win and Tate will play his best game of the year scoring at least 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. We will also see the very first sighting of Mickey Mitchell who will score his first collegiate points.
Buckeyes win 75-68
The post Basketball Preview: Mercer Bears appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The season was supposed to be a complete waste. It was simply a season where we all watched the young talent and tried to come up with an idea of how the 2016-2017 season would look. Sure, we received great news when all-everything freshman forward Mickey Mitchell got word that he could now play, but Saturday was supposed to be a complete annihilation of our basketball team. Luckily for us, the game was actually played and this collection of very talented young athletes put everything together and knocked off the #4 Kentucky Wildcats.
Now we are in this weird position where, as a fan base, we are cautiously optimistic about the current season. Will there be a let-down or will the promise the team showed on Saturday transition seamlessly into the Tuesday game against Mercer and continue into March?
WHAT OHIO STATE BRINGS
The Buckeyes come into Tuesdays match-up with a 6-5 record and riding high off of a seven point victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. The big difference for the Buckeyes on Saturday was the play of their two big men down low. Sophomore Trevor Thompson got the start and played his best game of the season, scoring 10 points and adding five blocks and five rebounds. Freshman Daniel Giddens added six points and three rebounds off of the bench but his hustle is what set him apart. Play after play, Giddens was willing to give up his body as he lay out to put forward his best effort.
As a team, the Buckeyes shot 40.6% from the field and 50% from behind the three-point line. Sophomore Keita Bates-Diop played a tough 39 minutes and gave the team 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. The team grandpa, junior Marc Loving, added 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Je’Sean Tate added 10 rebounds from his power forward position.
On the season, Loving leads the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game, Tate leads the team with 7 rebounds per game, and freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle leads the team with 4.5 assists per game.
WHAT MERCER BRINGS
The Mercer Bears come to Columbus with a 9-2 record and coming off of a three point victory of Arkansas. Their two losses on the season have come at the hands of Davidson and Auburn. Against Arkansas, the Bears battled their way into overtime before knocking off the Razorbacks and giving the team a much needed win over a power-5 foe. Senior guard Jestin Lewis paced the Bears with 21 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Stephon Jelks added 20 points and a Dennis Rodman-like 15 rebounds in the contest.
Much like Ohio State, the Bears are a very long and athletic team as they have seven players on their roster who are over 6’6”. They have six upper classmen and this program is not afraid to take on big name teams. Many of us can still remember Mercer knocking off Duke to the delight on everyone in the United States.
For the season, Lewis leads the team in scoring averaging 12.6 points per game, Jelks leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game, and senior point guard Phillip Leonard leads the team with 4.7 assists per game.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
Mercer
Name Height Weight Class Pos
Desmond Ringer 6’9” 255 SO F
Stephon Jelks 6’6” 225 SO F
Jestin Lewis 6’1” 170 SO G
Phillip Leonard 6’2” 200 SR G
Demetre Rivers 6’8” 180 SO G
Ohio State
Name Height Weight Class Pos
Jae’Sean Tate 6’4” 225 SO F
Trevor Thompson 6’11” 250 SO F/C
Marc Loving 6’7” 220 JR G/F
Keita Bates-Diop 6’7” 235 SO G/F
JaQuan Lyle 6’5” 210 FR G
PREDICTION
Ohio State should have a renewed sense of purpose after the big win on Saturday. The biggest key for the Buckeyes, and has been the case over the past couple of years, is whether they get consistent production from their center position. Both Thompson and Giddens played their hearts out on Saturday and showed what they are capable of.
If they can get consistent play from those two, guys like Bates-Diop and Tate will be left open to clean up things down low for easy buckets. As the season continues to develop, I also think we will see more of freshman point guard A.J. Harris as he is the only true point guard on the team and will be needed as the Big Ten season comes around.
In this game, Ohio State will be able to ride the high of the Kentucky win and Tate will play his best game of the year scoring at least 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. We will also see the very first sighting of Mickey Mitchell who will score his first collegiate points.
Buckeyes win 75-68
The post Basketball Preview: Mercer Bears appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...