Connor Lemons
Guest
You’re Nuts: What is the best individual performance against Ohio State since 2010?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Set Number: X155983 TK1 R2 F17
Which opponent sticks out in your mind as the biggest single-game thorn in the Buckeyes’ side?
Zach Edey averaged 26.7 points per game against Ohio State in Purdue’s final three meetings with the Buckeyes, dating back to the 2022-2023 season. He was the biggest heel in the Buckeyes’ side the last two seasons, but he’s far from the only foe who has put up big games against Ohio State over the past decade.
Ever heard of someone by the last name of Carr, perhaps? That’s a trick question, since every player with the last name Carr tends to drop 20 automatically on Ohio State. More on this later...
Last week, Connor and Justin debated how many Buckeyes will average 10 or more points per game this season. Connor said it would be a max of four players, while Justin said at least five will. For reference, only three Buckeyes averaged double-digits last season.
76% of the readers sided with Connor, saying that at most, four Buckeyes will average double-digits. The remaining 24% agreed with Justin’s lofty expectation.
Connor- 76
This week, the guys are each naming an opposing player that’s had a standout performance against Ohio State. Since the Bucketheads are both millennials, the timeframe is from 2010 to present day. This just misses the very best of Thad Matta’s teams, but still includes one Final Four run and several NCAA Tournament teams.
Three days after going on the road to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and pummeling a bad Iowa team by 29, Ohio State traveled to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini, led by future NBA players Brandon Paul and Meyers Leonard.
Paul’s season-high to that point was 28 points, but on Jan. 10, 2012 he blew that number out of the water, dropping a career-high 43 points in a 79-74 win over the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. Paul scored Illinois’ final 15 points of the game to close out Ohio State in a late-night battle that the Buckeyes led by five at halftime.
Led by DeShaun Thomas and Jared Sullinger, who combined for 44 points, Ohio State opened up an 11-point lead early in the second half. But the Illini swung back, with Paul knocking down eight three-pointers, tying the school record. With Illinois up one point and 43 seconds remaining on the clock, Paul buried a long three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Aaron Craft to put the Illini up 74-70. They would not relinquish that lead, beating the No. 5 Buckeyes 79-74.
Paul’s 43 points is still the third-most ever scored in a game by an Illinois player, and is the most an Illinois player has ever scored against the Buckeyes. His 43 points is the fourth-most ever scored against Ohio State in the history of the two programs, and he remains the most recent player to drop 40 points on the Buckeyes. It had been 18 years before that (1994) since someone scored at least 40 points against Ohio State.
Illinois was not good in 2012, finishing ninth in the Big Ten with a 6-12 record. Paul scored 54% of Illinois’ points that night, and hit eight of his team’s 11 three-pointers. What was most impressive about this game — was the fact that Illinois kept going back to Paul, and every time he found a way to either score or draw a foul. The Buckeyes had no answer for the 6-foot-4 junior. Scoring 43 points on 15 shot attempts is a level of efficiency that we may never see again in this sport.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25490924/usa_today_15757624.jpg "NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Oral Roberts at Ohio State")
IndyStar-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last decade or so of Ohio State men’s basketball, there is one performance and one game that stands out to me: March 19, 2021, against Oral Roberts and Kevin Obanor.
The forward for Oral Roberts had the game of his career, as the No. 15 seed knocked off the No. 2 seeded Ohio State 75-72 in overtime. Max Abmas also had a great game, recording 29 points and going 10-for-24 from the field. But Abmas was the leading scorer in college basketball that season, so 29 points was not out of the ordinary for him.
However, Obanor scored 30 points and 11 rebounds in 45 minutes and was the true difference maker, with Ohio State having to play very small in the matchup due to Kyle Young being out.
Abmas is very hard to deal with, but you can expect the output from him and really focus on everyone else to limit the damage. When two guys go for 30 against you, it becomes extremely difficult to limit everyone else enough to win the game.
Obanor had a phenomenal season in 2020-21 for Oral Roberts, averaging 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, but 30 and 11 was his best game of the season and his career, and he picked a great time to show it.
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
Set Number: X155983 TK1 R2 F17
Which opponent sticks out in your mind as the biggest single-game thorn in the Buckeyes’ side?
Zach Edey averaged 26.7 points per game against Ohio State in Purdue’s final three meetings with the Buckeyes, dating back to the 2022-2023 season. He was the biggest heel in the Buckeyes’ side the last two seasons, but he’s far from the only foe who has put up big games against Ohio State over the past decade.
Ever heard of someone by the last name of Carr, perhaps? That’s a trick question, since every player with the last name Carr tends to drop 20 automatically on Ohio State. More on this later...
Last week, Connor and Justin debated how many Buckeyes will average 10 or more points per game this season. Connor said it would be a max of four players, while Justin said at least five will. For reference, only three Buckeyes averaged double-digits last season.
76% of the readers sided with Connor, saying that at most, four Buckeyes will average double-digits. The remaining 24% agreed with Justin’s lofty expectation.
After 156 weeks:
Connor- 76
Justin- 60
Other- 16
(There have been four ties)
This week, the guys are each naming an opposing player that’s had a standout performance against Ohio State. Since the Bucketheads are both millennials, the timeframe is from 2010 to present day. This just misses the very best of Thad Matta’s teams, but still includes one Final Four run and several NCAA Tournament teams.
This week’s question: What is the best individual performance against Ohio State since 2010?
Connor: Brandon Paul scores 43 as Illinois upsets No. 5 Ohio State (2012)
Three days after going on the road to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and pummeling a bad Iowa team by 29, Ohio State traveled to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini, led by future NBA players Brandon Paul and Meyers Leonard.
Paul’s season-high to that point was 28 points, but on Jan. 10, 2012 he blew that number out of the water, dropping a career-high 43 points in a 79-74 win over the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. Paul scored Illinois’ final 15 points of the game to close out Ohio State in a late-night battle that the Buckeyes led by five at halftime.
Led by DeShaun Thomas and Jared Sullinger, who combined for 44 points, Ohio State opened up an 11-point lead early in the second half. But the Illini swung back, with Paul knocking down eight three-pointers, tying the school record. With Illinois up one point and 43 seconds remaining on the clock, Paul buried a long three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Aaron Craft to put the Illini up 74-70. They would not relinquish that lead, beating the No. 5 Buckeyes 79-74.
Paul’s 43 points is still the third-most ever scored in a game by an Illinois player, and is the most an Illinois player has ever scored against the Buckeyes. His 43 points is the fourth-most ever scored against Ohio State in the history of the two programs, and he remains the most recent player to drop 40 points on the Buckeyes. It had been 18 years before that (1994) since someone scored at least 40 points against Ohio State.
Illinois was not good in 2012, finishing ninth in the Big Ten with a 6-12 record. Paul scored 54% of Illinois’ points that night, and hit eight of his team’s 11 three-pointers. What was most impressive about this game — was the fact that Illinois kept going back to Paul, and every time he found a way to either score or draw a foul. The Buckeyes had no answer for the 6-foot-4 junior. Scoring 43 points on 15 shot attempts is a level of efficiency that we may never see again in this sport.
Justin: Kevin Obanor in the 2021 Oral Roberts tournament game
Over the last decade or so of Ohio State men’s basketball, there is one performance and one game that stands out to me: March 19, 2021, against Oral Roberts and Kevin Obanor.
The forward for Oral Roberts had the game of his career, as the No. 15 seed knocked off the No. 2 seeded Ohio State 75-72 in overtime. Max Abmas also had a great game, recording 29 points and going 10-for-24 from the field. But Abmas was the leading scorer in college basketball that season, so 29 points was not out of the ordinary for him.
However, Obanor scored 30 points and 11 rebounds in 45 minutes and was the true difference maker, with Ohio State having to play very small in the matchup due to Kyle Young being out.
Abmas is very hard to deal with, but you can expect the output from him and really focus on everyone else to limit the damage. When two guys go for 30 against you, it becomes extremely difficult to limit everyone else enough to win the game.
Obanor had a phenomenal season in 2020-21 for Oral Roberts, averaging 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, but 30 and 11 was his best game of the season and his career, and he picked a great time to show it.
Continue reading...