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You’re Nuts: What will Ohio State’s record be in non-conference play?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
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The Buckeyes will face five power conference teams during the noncon portion of their schedule.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team has a full 20-game conference schedule out now, which makes the strength of its non-conference slate even more clear. Of the 11 non-con games, the Buckeyes will face five power conference teams — Texas, Texas A&M, Pitt, Auburn, and Kentucky. Three of those games will be played on a neutral floor, one will be on the road, and one is a true road game.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which conference game will be the biggest test for these Buckeyes. Justin went with the road game at Indiana at the end of the season, which will also serve as the Hoosiers’ senior day. Connor picked Ohio State’s road game at Purdue in January.
57% of the readers sided with Justin, while 32% were on Connor’s side. The remaining 11% of readers thought it was a game other than Purdue or Indiana.
Connor- 81
With Ohio State set to face the Texas Longhorns in 38 days, let’s take a more in-depth look a the non-conference portion of the schedule. Jake Diebler’s first team will be tested at a very high level, and we should know quite a bit about this team by the time the first B1G game rolls around on Dec. 4.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25645279/usa_today_21866362.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Texas A&M at Ohio State")
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Two of Ohio State’s first three game will be against schools from the Lone Star state, starting with Texas on Nov. 4. I like some of the pieces that Rodney Terry has put together — especially Arthur Kaluma, who I wanted to see Ohio State get — but I like the experience and leadership the Buckeyes have a bite more.
However, two games later Ohio State will travel to College Station to face off with the Aggies. Texas A&M traveled to Columbus last season and beat Ohio State 73-66 in front of the home fans. Now, the Buckeyes have to return the favor by flying south to play Texas A&M on their court.
Ohio State has a record of 3-18 on the road the past two seasons combined, and winning on the road is hard for everyone, not just the Buckeyes — although they’ve made it look a lot harder than it is the last two seasons. An early season, Friday night game against the Aggies inside Reed Arena doesn’t sound like a good situation for Ohio State.
I think Ohio State will handle Pitt at home, and should be substantial home favorites in that game as well. But Auburn will be a problem. Even though it’s a neutral site game, Auburn has the geographic advantage in a big way with this game happening in Atlanta. The Tigers also trot out Johni Broome, who is one of the best and more experienced players in the country.
The 6-foot-10, 240-pound center has scored over 1,000 career points at Auburn in two seasons, and with a strong season could potentially pass 2,500 career points and wind up in the top-50 all-time scorers in college basketball history. Ohio State doesn’t have anyone capable of matching up with him at the moment, and I think he’s going to cause huge problems for the Buckeyes, namely by getting everyone and their brother in foul trouble. I think Auburn wins this game in Atlanta.
Ohio State will beat Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic because Ohio State always beats Kentucky in this event. Thad Matta beat Kentucky, Chris Holtmann beat Kentucky, and Jake Diebler has no choice but to beat Kentucky. The Buckeyes are 2-0 against the Wildcats, and the voodoo will continue.
I want to preface this by saying that I do think the Buckeyes will have a solid season and make a trip back to the tournament. I also think it is going to take a little bit of time for this team to fully gel, and the schedule is brutal to start the season.
Texas and Texas A&M are both great teams, and they play the Buckeyes in the first three games. Auburn, with its long, versatile wings and Johnni Broome down low, makes for a matchup problem.
Ohio State has a talented roster, but it will likely start four transfers and rely on three newcomers off the bench. The only returning starter is point guard Bruce Thornton.
Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Aaron Bradshaw, and Sean Stewart are all transfers that should start, and Ques Glover, Ivan Njegovan, and Juni Mobley will all be looked at to place significant minutes off the bench as newcomers.
The talent needs time to gel, and the non-conference schedule could lead to some close losses because of that early on.
And hopefully, I am wrong.
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-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes will face five power conference teams during the noncon portion of their schedule.
The Ohio State men’s basketball team has a full 20-game conference schedule out now, which makes the strength of its non-conference slate even more clear. Of the 11 non-con games, the Buckeyes will face five power conference teams — Texas, Texas A&M, Pitt, Auburn, and Kentucky. Three of those games will be played on a neutral floor, one will be on the road, and one is a true road game.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which conference game will be the biggest test for these Buckeyes. Justin went with the road game at Indiana at the end of the season, which will also serve as the Hoosiers’ senior day. Connor picked Ohio State’s road game at Purdue in January.
57% of the readers sided with Justin, while 32% were on Connor’s side. The remaining 11% of readers thought it was a game other than Purdue or Indiana.
After 171 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 69
Other- 17
(There have been four ties)
With Ohio State set to face the Texas Longhorns in 38 days, let’s take a more in-depth look a the non-conference portion of the schedule. Jake Diebler’s first team will be tested at a very high level, and we should know quite a bit about this team by the time the first B1G game rolls around on Dec. 4.
This week’s question: What will be Ohio State’s record in non-conference play?
Connor: 9-2 (losses to Texas A&M and Auburn)
Two of Ohio State’s first three game will be against schools from the Lone Star state, starting with Texas on Nov. 4. I like some of the pieces that Rodney Terry has put together — especially Arthur Kaluma, who I wanted to see Ohio State get — but I like the experience and leadership the Buckeyes have a bite more.
However, two games later Ohio State will travel to College Station to face off with the Aggies. Texas A&M traveled to Columbus last season and beat Ohio State 73-66 in front of the home fans. Now, the Buckeyes have to return the favor by flying south to play Texas A&M on their court.
Ohio State has a record of 3-18 on the road the past two seasons combined, and winning on the road is hard for everyone, not just the Buckeyes — although they’ve made it look a lot harder than it is the last two seasons. An early season, Friday night game against the Aggies inside Reed Arena doesn’t sound like a good situation for Ohio State.
I think Ohio State will handle Pitt at home, and should be substantial home favorites in that game as well. But Auburn will be a problem. Even though it’s a neutral site game, Auburn has the geographic advantage in a big way with this game happening in Atlanta. The Tigers also trot out Johni Broome, who is one of the best and more experienced players in the country.
The 6-foot-10, 240-pound center has scored over 1,000 career points at Auburn in two seasons, and with a strong season could potentially pass 2,500 career points and wind up in the top-50 all-time scorers in college basketball history. Ohio State doesn’t have anyone capable of matching up with him at the moment, and I think he’s going to cause huge problems for the Buckeyes, namely by getting everyone and their brother in foul trouble. I think Auburn wins this game in Atlanta.
Ohio State will beat Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic because Ohio State always beats Kentucky in this event. Thad Matta beat Kentucky, Chris Holtmann beat Kentucky, and Jake Diebler has no choice but to beat Kentucky. The Buckeyes are 2-0 against the Wildcats, and the voodoo will continue.
Justin: 8-3 (losses to Texas, Texas A&M, Auburn )
I want to preface this by saying that I do think the Buckeyes will have a solid season and make a trip back to the tournament. I also think it is going to take a little bit of time for this team to fully gel, and the schedule is brutal to start the season.
Texas and Texas A&M are both great teams, and they play the Buckeyes in the first three games. Auburn, with its long, versatile wings and Johnni Broome down low, makes for a matchup problem.
Ohio State has a talented roster, but it will likely start four transfers and rely on three newcomers off the bench. The only returning starter is point guard Bruce Thornton.
Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Aaron Bradshaw, and Sean Stewart are all transfers that should start, and Ques Glover, Ivan Njegovan, and Juni Mobley will all be looked at to place significant minutes off the bench as newcomers.
The talent needs time to gel, and the non-conference schedule could lead to some close losses because of that early on.
And hopefully, I am wrong.
Continue reading...