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Devin Royal puts Buckeyes on his back, carries Ohio State past Rutgers 80-66
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The sophomore from Pickerington scored a career-high 22 points Saturday, including 16 in the second half.
Saturday afternoon in Columbus, the Ohio State University men’s basketball team (6-3, 1-1) welcomed the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (5-4, 0-1) to the Schott for the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this year. The Buckeyes swept the Scarlet Knights last year, squeaking out a four-point win at home and then popping RU by 22 at the RAC the following month.
This Rutgers team is different than the Scarlet Knights of years’ past. They’re led by two guys who are bound to be lottery picks next spring in the 2025 NBA Draft — Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Steve Pikiell is leaning on youth and an explosive offense rather than Rutgers’ typical gritty defend, rebound, and grind style.
Ohio State continues to play shorthanded, as sophomore big man Aaron Bradshaw is currently being investigated by the university for a possible “domestic incident” at his home last month.
With Bradshaw, Colin White, and Ques Glover still out, Jake Diebler stuck with the same lineup he’s used for the last two games — Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, and Devin Royal.
Steve Pikiell started Bailey and Harper alongside Jeremiah Williams, Jordan Derkack, and Emmanuel Ogbole. The Scarlet Knights entered this game with a clean bill of health.
Stops were optional over the first several minutes, with the teams playing to a 13-13 tie by the first media timeout. The Buckeyes were getting the ball into the paint nearly every possession, and Royal scored six points within the first five minutes of the game. Ace Bailey looked smooth early, but the combination of Thornton and Parrish worked to keep Harper disconnected from the offense early on.
Ohio State continued to assault the painted area throughout the first half. Royal, Mahaffey, and Stewart all had big buckets and all three were cutting to the basket well and leaving open space for the others to operate near the basket. Despite not shooting it particularly well from deep in the first half (4-for-11) the Buckeyes went into the locker room at halftime with a 39-31 lead.
Thornton had 14 points in the first half, but the Buckeyes also outsourced Rutgers in the paint, 20-10. Stewart, Royal, and even Austin Parks had big-time buckets during the front 20, and Parks even grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds during his seven first-half minutes.
Rutgers cut the Ohio State lead to four for a moment, but Royal responded with an offensive rebound and basket over Derkack, and then Thornton jumped a passing lane and snagged a Derkack pass that was meant for Tyson Acuff and took it the other way, slamming the ball down at the other end to put Ohio State back up, 47-39, with 15:03 left in the game.
By the under-eight timeout the Ohio State lead had shrunk to 63-54. Rutgers was answering Ohio State baskets with their own, but the Scarlet Knights were having a hellish time guarding sophomore forward Devin Royal. Royal was limited in the first half because of foul trouble, but blew up in the second half, scoring 16 more points by the 7:53 mark to give him a career-high 22 (at the time).
However, Harper awoke from his slumber as well, crossing the 10-point plateau by knocking down a pair of long three-pointers. The Scarlet Knights hadn’t made a serious push at this point, but they weren’t going away, either.
With 5:24 remaining in the game Johnson dribbled from the corner up the baseline towards the basket, and was greeted by three RU defenders. He quickly dished it off to Parrish in the opposite corner, who nailed a corner three to put the Buckeyes up 10 points, 66-55. On the very next Ohio State possession, Johnson had the ball at the top of the key and could’ve hoisted a deep three. Instead, he saw that nobody was next to Parks below the basket, so he dumped it off to the big man, who slammed it home to make it 68-55 Ohio State with 4:38 to go.
That stretch from Johnson proved to be crucial, as the Buckeyes pushed their lead to a game-high 14. They didn’t ease off from there, closing out Rutgers at home and picking up their first Big Ten win of the year, 80-66.
If you weren’t able to make it to the Schott on Saturday afternoon to see Ohio State pick up its first Big Ten win of the season over Harper, Bailey, and the Scarlet Knights, here were a few key moments that made the difference in this one:
Harper entered Saturday’s game as the fourth-leading scorer in the nation at 23.8 points per game and was taking 16 shots per game. The combination of Parrish and Thornton were the primary defenders on Rutgers’ leading scorer, and they did a good job keeping the ball out of Harper’s hands in the first half.
Harper only took one shot through the first 14 minutes of the game, and finished the first 20 minutes with just four points on 1-3 shooting. The Scarlet Knights had other guys, like Derkack, hitting shots, but Ohio State was refusing to let the duo of Bailey and Harper both beat them.
After Ohio State’s embarrassing loss to Maryland earlier this week, Royal said that he and his team did not get the ball to the paint enough — something that Diebler has stressed needs to happen nearly every possession. Even if the shot doesn’t happen below the basket, making sure the ball gets touched there can open up shots on the perimeter as well.
The Buckeyes got the ball to the paint on 17 of their 32 possessions in the first half, and finished the half with a 56.7% shooting percentage. Ohio State started the first half by forcing the ball low on the first four possessions of the game, but ended the half with back-to-back turnovers where Parrish and Mobley never even got the ball inside the three-point line.
Thornton scored 14 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes. He knocked down both of his three-point tries and dished out three assists while committing zero turnovers. Sounds post play from guys like Stewart and Royal opened up Thornton for easier looks away from the basket in the first half.
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With Ohio State up 45-39 and 15:10 left in the game, Derkack tried to pass the ball to Acuff, who was guarded by Thornton. However, Thornton saw it all the way and jumped the passing lane, snagging it and turning the steal into a dribble down the floor. He out-ran Acuff to the other end and elevated for an insane one-handed slam to put the Buckeyes back up, 47-39.
After playing just six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Royal was able to take the floor in the second half and play with a little more freedom. He scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting over the first eight minutes of the second half. He and Thornton combined to score Ohio State’s first 15 points of the second half as Ohio State clung to a single-digit lead.
Meechie Johnson has not played well this season, and he did not play well for the first 35 or so minutes of Saturday’s game, either. But the senior guard from Cleveland dominated the game on three consecutive possession late in the game, sealing the win for the Buckeyes.
With Ohio State up 63-55, Johnson dribbled towards the basket into a crowd, but instead of forcing up a layup in traffic he dished off to Parrish in the corner, who snapped off a three to put Ohio State up 66-55.
On the very next offensive possession, Johnson considered shooting a deep straightaway three, but instead noticed Parks below the basket and nobody covering him. He threw a line drive to Parks, who slammed it home to put the Buckeyes up 68-55.
On the next offensive possession, Johnson drove to the basket and scored a layup through contact, making it 70-56 with 3:58 left in the game.
Ohio State (6-3, 1-1) gets a full week off before traveling to Atlanta next weekend to face off with No. 2 Auburn (7-1) in the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event. The Tigers already have two top-five wins on their resume, having beaten No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Iowa State. They have another ranked win over No. 12 North Carolina as well, and were the winners of the Maui Invitational. Auburn is currently the No. 1 team in the country in the KenPom rankings.
The Buckeyes’ game against Bruce Pearl’s Tigers is set to tip off at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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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-Imagn Images
The sophomore from Pickerington scored a career-high 22 points Saturday, including 16 in the second half.
Saturday afternoon in Columbus, the Ohio State University men’s basketball team (6-3, 1-1) welcomed the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers (5-4, 0-1) to the Schott for the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this year. The Buckeyes swept the Scarlet Knights last year, squeaking out a four-point win at home and then popping RU by 22 at the RAC the following month.
This Rutgers team is different than the Scarlet Knights of years’ past. They’re led by two guys who are bound to be lottery picks next spring in the 2025 NBA Draft — Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Steve Pikiell is leaning on youth and an explosive offense rather than Rutgers’ typical gritty defend, rebound, and grind style.
Ohio State continues to play shorthanded, as sophomore big man Aaron Bradshaw is currently being investigated by the university for a possible “domestic incident” at his home last month.
With Bradshaw, Colin White, and Ques Glover still out, Jake Diebler stuck with the same lineup he’s used for the last two games — Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, and Devin Royal.
Steve Pikiell started Bailey and Harper alongside Jeremiah Williams, Jordan Derkack, and Emmanuel Ogbole. The Scarlet Knights entered this game with a clean bill of health.
Stops were optional over the first several minutes, with the teams playing to a 13-13 tie by the first media timeout. The Buckeyes were getting the ball into the paint nearly every possession, and Royal scored six points within the first five minutes of the game. Ace Bailey looked smooth early, but the combination of Thornton and Parrish worked to keep Harper disconnected from the offense early on.
Ohio State continued to assault the painted area throughout the first half. Royal, Mahaffey, and Stewart all had big buckets and all three were cutting to the basket well and leaving open space for the others to operate near the basket. Despite not shooting it particularly well from deep in the first half (4-for-11) the Buckeyes went into the locker room at halftime with a 39-31 lead.
Thornton had 14 points in the first half, but the Buckeyes also outsourced Rutgers in the paint, 20-10. Stewart, Royal, and even Austin Parks had big-time buckets during the front 20, and Parks even grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds during his seven first-half minutes.
Rutgers cut the Ohio State lead to four for a moment, but Royal responded with an offensive rebound and basket over Derkack, and then Thornton jumped a passing lane and snagged a Derkack pass that was meant for Tyson Acuff and took it the other way, slamming the ball down at the other end to put Ohio State back up, 47-39, with 15:03 left in the game.
By the under-eight timeout the Ohio State lead had shrunk to 63-54. Rutgers was answering Ohio State baskets with their own, but the Scarlet Knights were having a hellish time guarding sophomore forward Devin Royal. Royal was limited in the first half because of foul trouble, but blew up in the second half, scoring 16 more points by the 7:53 mark to give him a career-high 22 (at the time).
However, Harper awoke from his slumber as well, crossing the 10-point plateau by knocking down a pair of long three-pointers. The Scarlet Knights hadn’t made a serious push at this point, but they weren’t going away, either.
With 5:24 remaining in the game Johnson dribbled from the corner up the baseline towards the basket, and was greeted by three RU defenders. He quickly dished it off to Parrish in the opposite corner, who nailed a corner three to put the Buckeyes up 10 points, 66-55. On the very next Ohio State possession, Johnson had the ball at the top of the key and could’ve hoisted a deep three. Instead, he saw that nobody was next to Parks below the basket, so he dumped it off to the big man, who slammed it home to make it 68-55 Ohio State with 4:38 to go.
That stretch from Johnson proved to be crucial, as the Buckeyes pushed their lead to a game-high 14. They didn’t ease off from there, closing out Rutgers at home and picking up their first Big Ten win of the year, 80-66.
If you weren’t able to make it to the Schott on Saturday afternoon to see Ohio State pick up its first Big Ten win of the season over Harper, Bailey, and the Scarlet Knights, here were a few key moments that made the difference in this one:
Buckeyes denying Harper the ball early
Harper entered Saturday’s game as the fourth-leading scorer in the nation at 23.8 points per game and was taking 16 shots per game. The combination of Parrish and Thornton were the primary defenders on Rutgers’ leading scorer, and they did a good job keeping the ball out of Harper’s hands in the first half.
Harper only took one shot through the first 14 minutes of the game, and finished the first 20 minutes with just four points on 1-3 shooting. The Scarlet Knights had other guys, like Derkack, hitting shots, but Ohio State was refusing to let the duo of Bailey and Harper both beat them.
Getting the ball to the paint
After Ohio State’s embarrassing loss to Maryland earlier this week, Royal said that he and his team did not get the ball to the paint enough — something that Diebler has stressed needs to happen nearly every possession. Even if the shot doesn’t happen below the basket, making sure the ball gets touched there can open up shots on the perimeter as well.
The Buckeyes got the ball to the paint on 17 of their 32 possessions in the first half, and finished the half with a 56.7% shooting percentage. Ohio State started the first half by forcing the ball low on the first four possessions of the game, but ended the half with back-to-back turnovers where Parrish and Mobley never even got the ball inside the three-point line.
Big play Bruce at it again
Thornton scored 14 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting in 19 minutes. He knocked down both of his three-point tries and dished out three assists while committing zero turnovers. Sounds post play from guys like Stewart and Royal opened up Thornton for easier looks away from the basket in the first half.
I was not familiar with your game, Mr. Thornton
With Ohio State up 45-39 and 15:10 left in the game, Derkack tried to pass the ball to Acuff, who was guarded by Thornton. However, Thornton saw it all the way and jumped the passing lane, snagging it and turning the steal into a dribble down the floor. He out-ran Acuff to the other end and elevated for an insane one-handed slam to put the Buckeyes back up, 47-39.
Royal, Thornton two-man game
After playing just six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Royal was able to take the floor in the second half and play with a little more freedom. He scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting over the first eight minutes of the second half. He and Thornton combined to score Ohio State’s first 15 points of the second half as Ohio State clung to a single-digit lead.
Smart plays from Meechie seal the deal
Meechie Johnson has not played well this season, and he did not play well for the first 35 or so minutes of Saturday’s game, either. But the senior guard from Cleveland dominated the game on three consecutive possession late in the game, sealing the win for the Buckeyes.
With Ohio State up 63-55, Johnson dribbled towards the basket into a crowd, but instead of forcing up a layup in traffic he dished off to Parrish in the corner, who snapped off a three to put Ohio State up 66-55.
On the very next offensive possession, Johnson considered shooting a deep straightaway three, but instead noticed Parks below the basket and nobody covering him. He threw a line drive to Parks, who slammed it home to put the Buckeyes up 68-55.
On the next offensive possession, Johnson drove to the basket and scored a layup through contact, making it 70-56 with 3:58 left in the game.
What’s next?
Ohio State (6-3, 1-1) gets a full week off before traveling to Atlanta next weekend to face off with No. 2 Auburn (7-1) in the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event. The Tigers already have two top-five wins on their resume, having beaten No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Iowa State. They have another ranked win over No. 12 North Carolina as well, and were the winners of the Maui Invitational. Auburn is currently the No. 1 team in the country in the KenPom rankings.
The Buckeyes’ game against Bruce Pearl’s Tigers is set to tip off at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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