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The Ohio State University @ ttun, Tuesday, February 4 @ 7PM, ESPN2

ScriptOhio

Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW: OHIO STATE COLLIDES WITH MICHIGAN IN ANN ARBOR AS SIMILAR PATHS CONVERGE

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Chris Holtmann and Juwan Howard probably have an inkling of what each other has felt over the past few months.

Both Ohio State (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) and Michigan (13-8, 4-6 Big Ten) were ranked top-five nationally in December, with the Buckeyes peaking at No. 2 on Dec. 23 and the Wolverines reaching No. 4 on Dec. 2. In January, both teams simultaneously fell apart, falling entirely outside of the top 25. Less than two weeks ago, they were 2-6 and tied for 11th in the Big Ten. Both have seemed to find their footing, winning back-to-back games – though they remain 11th in the conference.

On Tuesday night, they’ll collide in Ann Arbor. The game will tip off at 7 p.m on ESPN2.

“They're just like us,” CJ Walker said on Monday. “They kind of had some adversity hit, but it's the Big Ten. You never know what can happen. It's a really big game. It's going to be really competitive. It's going to be a really good game.”

A win for either team wouldn’t completely negate what happened in their respective past month. Heck, it wouldn’t even allow either to get back to .500.

For the Buckeyes, though, it could mark the most significant road conference victory of the season and the second game in a row won without DJ Carton, who remains out on a leave of absence to focus on his mental health.

THREE IMPORTANT WOLVERINES

ZAVIER SIMPSON (6-FOOT, 190 POUNDS)
Ohio State and Michigan will match up in Columbus next month, so this won’t be Simpson’s last chance to go against the Buckeyes. But for the Lima native, it’s his final opportunity to do so in Ann Arbor. Simpson, a widely competitive guard, surely will feed on that. To pull off a win, he’ll need to continue to facilitate efficiently and pick his spots well. Simpson averages 12.6 points, 8.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 34 minutes per game.

“I think his greatest attribute is his brain,” Holtmann said. “It's phenomenal. His ability to read and process information like a quarterback and read things so quickly is really phenomenal.”

JON TESKE (7-FOOT-1, 265 POUNDS)
Teske managed only five points and four rebounds last year when he faced Kaleb Wesson and the Buckeyes. He’ll get a chance for an improved performance on Tuesday. The big man puts up 13.6 points, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and adding 7.6 rebounds per game.

“Teske's an elite post defender and ball-screen defender. Elite. Elite,” Holtmann said. “So Kaleb's going to need to understand that.”

ISAIAH LIVERS (6-FOOT-7, 230 POUNDS)
There’s a good chance Livers doesn’t play on Tuesday night. He has only played 13 games this season and sat out the past two with a lower-body injury. Howard, speaking on Monday, said, “He's improving. Hopefully he'll be back soon.”

If Livers suits up, he’d be a major boon to the Wolverines. He averages 13.1 points, having hit 50 percent of his shots both from the field and the 3-point line this season.



THREE IMPORTANT BUCKEYES

KALEB WESSON
At times in his career, Wesson has had difficulties finishing over length. Rarely will he match up with a center quite as tall and long as Teske, who’ll challenge him in that area. Without Carton, it’s especially important that Wesson can make smart decisions on offense and help facilitate Ohio State’s offense.

“He can't get frustrated,” Holtmann said. “He's going to have to understand that, hey, he's going against a guy with great size and physicality. He's going to have to be efficient.”

CJ WALKER
As long as Carton remains away from the team, Walker might end up featured in this section in every preview – especially given how he played in his first game without the freshman point guard to spell him. The redshirt junior had 14 points, four assists and three steals in 36 minutes, hitting 5-of-9 shots and 2-of-5 3-pointers. Offensively, he seemed to run the show with confidence, leading to efficiency.

JUSTIN AHRENS
It’s hard not to notice what Ahrens has managed to do as an off-the-bench shooter. He dropped 12 points against Northwestern and 11 points versus Indiana, hitting 7-of-10 3-pointers across the two games. Defense remains a question mark, but Holtmann will likely try to get him some playing time on Tuesday due to what he has done lately.

THREE NUMBERS TO KNOW

3-POINT PERCENTAGE
In its 10 conference games, Michigan has hit just 29.1 percent of its 3-pointers, the third-worst mark in the Big Ten. Hypothetically, that could be beneficial to Ohio State, which ranks dead last in the Big Ten with conference opponents hitting 38.4 percent of their triples.

However, the in-conference opponents that have shot it so well against the Buckeyes don’t have particularly impressive percentages across the entire season. That begs the question: Has Ohio State defended the arc poorly or have other teams’ shooters simply gotten hot at inopportune times?

“I do think some guys have made some timely 3s that maybe have not shot it well against other teams,” Holtmann said. “But sooner or later you've got to look inward and we've got to figure out a way to contest and challenge better than what we're doing right now and to be more in tune to our assignments on that end.”

FREE-THROW RATE
Most teams that struggle shooting from the outside spend most of their time inside the arc, leading to more drawn fouls. Not Michigan, though.

The Wolverines rank 322nd in the country with a free-throw rate of 26 percent, the second-lowest mark in the conference. Recently, they’ve gotten to the line at a greater clip, though it’s a bit of an anomaly.

ADJUSTED TEMPO
Ohio State currently ranks 263rd in the country in adjusted tempo, per Bart Torvik, marking it as the 10th-fastest team in the Big Ten. Without Carton, expect that number to only decrease. The freshman point guard was both the team's most explosive player in transition, and he also got to the line more than anybody else in the backcourt.

“That strength doesn't really lie in other people, so we're going to have to try to do some other things or find other ways to be successful because I don't know that you can force that with certain guys that doesn't play to their strength,” Holtmann said.



Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...chigan-in-ann-arbor-as-similar-paths-converge
 
Two-Minute Drill: Chris Holtmann, CJ Walker Preview Trip to Ann Arbor

Chris Holtmann

+ There is no new update on DJ Carton.

+ This is a quick turnaround, especially against a talented and veteran group.

+ The transition of coaches has been pretty seamless at Michigan.

+ The Buckeyes have to figure out a way to defend the three better. There have certainly been instances of players who don’t normally shoot well having good nights against OSU for some reason. “That’s a number that we’ve got to continue to address.”

+ There will be a bunch of ball screening tomorrow night from Michigan. Xavier Simpson is a very smart player and processes and reads things like a quarterback. The ball screen defense is going to be tested. It’s been good at times but it has to continue to get better.

+ Ball movement has been good the last two games and the last couple of weeks. Indiana commits two to the ball, so if you can make the right read, there will be good movement.

+ When you’re in the best league in the country, teams are going to have ups and downs. “When you’re in a league this deep and this good, it’s going to happen.” Michigan beat several good teams. “They did that.” It’s an entire season, not just a snippet of a few weeks. Michigan is a good team and will have a good finish to the year.

+ There is perspective when you see other teams struggle in the league, “but it doesn’t make you feel any better.”

+ He is interested to see how the increased minutes for some guys plays out. “I’m interested to see how we grow and move depending on what that timeframe looks like.”

+ Michigan is similar in a lot of ways to what they have been under their former coaching staff. They have recruited well and they have depth. And like last year, they don’t turn it over.

+ Justin Ahrens is carving out a spot through consistent play. He provided three critical threes to put Indiana away.

+ Stamina and foul trouble are the two major concerns with CJ Walker, as well as Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington. They’ll need to be mindful of practice time. They may have to slide somebody down a position, like Andre Wesson or Justin Ahrens to the two.

+ They will have to find other ways to get to the free throw line without DJ Carton. You can’t force it with guys when that isn’t their strength.

+ They are still trying to be cautious with Kyle Young’s workload because of his leg.

+ Michigan center Jon Teske is an elite defender and Kaleb Wesson is going to have to realize that and not get frustrated.

+ Luther Muhammad is dealing with a shoulder injury that he was able to play through this past weekend.

+ There is definitely a benefit in the year where transfers sit out. It benefits the players who transfer so that they can get accustomed to their new environment. It also benefits the player who doesn’t end up leaving because they don’t want to sit out. Holtmann sees value in the one-tie transfer exemption. When Holtmann played, there was a stigma attached to transfers. On the sheer number of transfers in college basketball today: “It’s the reality of the day we’re in and I’ve long since accepted it.”

+ Andre Wesson is really efficient right now. He has slowed down and is making better decisions. “He’s really taken that next step that you hope a senior takes.”

CJ Walker

+ Michigan is a well-coached team with a point guard who controls what they do. They have had some rough moments like OSU has.

+ Walker has been playing against Xavier Simpson since the third grade. They talk on social media. They have played in Midwest tournaments in AAU all the way to national tournaments. They don’t talk every day, but they keep in touch. “Nothing to crazy.”

+ He has pretty much forgotten about the last time he played against Michigan while he was at Florida State and the Wolverines knocked them out of the Elite 8.

+ Xavier Simpson executes Michigan’s offense very well and they have bigs who can shoot.

+ He feels he had a very solid game against Indiana after watching the film, but he still needs to improve. He took the right shots and did the right things for his teammates, but needs to remain engaged given how many minutes he’s going to be playing now.

+ He would be in favor of the Big Ten’s proposal of allowing one free transfer without having to sit out. It’s frustrating to have to sit out and not be able to play.

+ The Indiana game went well because they went back to their roots. They moved the ball and played inside out with Kaleb Wesson.

+ Other players stepped up with assists, like Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington. People have to step up without Carton and that’s what they’re doing right now.

+ This team hasn’t defended the three as well as they need to and they must improve their defensive awareness. They are getting better at it because they’re working at it.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/02/chris-holtmann-buckeyes-ann-arbor/
 
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