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You’re Nuts: Who had the best individual performance in Ohio State’s win over Texas?
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Four different players scored 14 or more points for the Buckeyes Monday night in Las Vegas.
Thanks to key contributions from four players, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is 1-0 after knocking off the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns Monday night, 80-72. Multiple starters struggled, but the bench picked them up, as Ohio State’s reserves outscored Texas’ bench 33-10.
Not only was it a solid win for the resume — it will almost certainly wind up a Quad-1 win — it also brought relief to fans after watching the Buckeyes get popped by Cincinnati in their pre-season game a few weeks ago.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which four teams would make the 2025 men’s Final Four. The guys didn’t do well with these predictions last year but they took another swing this season. Connor went with Alabama, UConn, Baylor, and Oregon. Justin picked Alabama, Kansas, Duke and the now-winless Texas Longhorns.
The readers voted, and 63% felt that Justin’s Final Four selections were more reasonable.
Connor- 81
The Buckeyes knocked off Texas this week thanks to their depth. Jake Diebler got 10 players into the game within the first 10 minutes, and Texas struggled to cover up every hole in the Ohio State whack-a-mole machine. The Buckeyes took an 8-0 lead to start the game, and never looked back, leading this game for all but the first 13 seconds, when it was still scoreless.
Some people were disappointed when it became clear that sophomore forward Devin Royal wasn’t going to begin the year as a starter, but it’s clear now that if he’s doing good things, he’s going to play plenty this year. Whether he’s part of the group of five that starts the game is not relevant, he’s going to be part of the group of five that ends the game.
Against Texas, Royal had his best collegiate game to date, finishing with a career-high 16 points on an uber-efficient 7-of-11 shooting over 25 minutes, which was also a career-high.
He knocked down two of his four three-point tries, which doesn’t look too crazy on the surface level until you realize that Royal hit three three-pointers all of last season, combined. Over the course of five months, freshman Devin Royal hit three triples. He nearly matched that just in the win over Texas.
Royal scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half, which harkens back to Ohio State’s win in East Lansing last season, when Royal led the Buckeyes with 14 points, but scored 10 of them in the second half. The now-sophomore just has a knack for hitting timely shots, especially the “settle down” shots. When an offensive possession isn’t going anywhere and the shot clock is winding down, that’s when Royal hits big shots.
Or perhaps Ohio State is trying to answer their opponent’s basket with one of their own, but they miss. Suddenly Royal flies in out of nowhere to snatch the offensive rebounds and slam it home for a second-chance dunk, which prevents a momentum swing. Those are the types of shots he hit against Texas in the second half Monday night.
Royal is expected to take a jump from the 4.7 points per game he averaged last season, but I don’t think anyone expected him to drop 16 off the bench against a ranked Texas squad to start the season. Consider the bar officially raised for the 6-foot-6, 220-pound sophomore from nearby Pickerington.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25720748/2182350482.jpg "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NOV 04 Hall of Fame Series Texas vs Ohio State")
Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes brought in a ton of talent through the transfer portal heading into this season after losing Felix Okpara, Roddy Gayle, and Scotty Middleton. Ohio State added All-SEC selection Meechie Johnson, as well as McDonald’s All-Americans in Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart.
Regardless of all of those talented players, and I am excited for all of them, I was most excited when I saw that San Diego State’s Micah Parrish was a key contributor over the past two seasons, including their national championship run in 2023.
In his first game as a Buckeye, Parrish recorded 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 5-for-11 from the field, 3-for-6 from three-point range, and 4-for-5 from the free throw line in 30 minutes. Parrish was also one of Ohio State’s best defenders, guarding multiple positions and helping contain Jordan Pope and Jayson Kent.
Parrish is not the most talented player on the roster, but he showed what he can bring to this team against Texas. He is a capable scorer, a versatile defender, and, most importantly, a veteran who has played in the big moments and won’t be rattled by anything.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Four different players scored 14 or more points for the Buckeyes Monday night in Las Vegas.
Thanks to key contributions from four players, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is 1-0 after knocking off the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns Monday night, 80-72. Multiple starters struggled, but the bench picked them up, as Ohio State’s reserves outscored Texas’ bench 33-10.
Not only was it a solid win for the resume — it will almost certainly wind up a Quad-1 win — it also brought relief to fans after watching the Buckeyes get popped by Cincinnati in their pre-season game a few weeks ago.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which four teams would make the 2025 men’s Final Four. The guys didn’t do well with these predictions last year but they took another swing this season. Connor went with Alabama, UConn, Baylor, and Oregon. Justin picked Alabama, Kansas, Duke and the now-winless Texas Longhorns.
The readers voted, and 63% felt that Justin’s Final Four selections were more reasonable.
After 177 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 73
Other- 18
(There have been five ties)
The Buckeyes knocked off Texas this week thanks to their depth. Jake Diebler got 10 players into the game within the first 10 minutes, and Texas struggled to cover up every hole in the Ohio State whack-a-mole machine. The Buckeyes took an 8-0 lead to start the game, and never looked back, leading this game for all but the first 13 seconds, when it was still scoreless.
This week’s question: Who had the best individual performance against Texas?
Connor: Devin Royal
DEVIN FROM DOWNTOWN FIRE US UP
OSU: 71
Texas: 59
2H 5:10 #Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/OI5i7LlEV8
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 5, 2024
Some people were disappointed when it became clear that sophomore forward Devin Royal wasn’t going to begin the year as a starter, but it’s clear now that if he’s doing good things, he’s going to play plenty this year. Whether he’s part of the group of five that starts the game is not relevant, he’s going to be part of the group of five that ends the game.
Against Texas, Royal had his best collegiate game to date, finishing with a career-high 16 points on an uber-efficient 7-of-11 shooting over 25 minutes, which was also a career-high.
He knocked down two of his four three-point tries, which doesn’t look too crazy on the surface level until you realize that Royal hit three three-pointers all of last season, combined. Over the course of five months, freshman Devin Royal hit three triples. He nearly matched that just in the win over Texas.
Royal scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half, which harkens back to Ohio State’s win in East Lansing last season, when Royal led the Buckeyes with 14 points, but scored 10 of them in the second half. The now-sophomore just has a knack for hitting timely shots, especially the “settle down” shots. When an offensive possession isn’t going anywhere and the shot clock is winding down, that’s when Royal hits big shots.
Or perhaps Ohio State is trying to answer their opponent’s basket with one of their own, but they miss. Suddenly Royal flies in out of nowhere to snatch the offensive rebounds and slam it home for a second-chance dunk, which prevents a momentum swing. Those are the types of shots he hit against Texas in the second half Monday night.
Royal is expected to take a jump from the 4.7 points per game he averaged last season, but I don’t think anyone expected him to drop 16 off the bench against a ranked Texas squad to start the season. Consider the bar officially raised for the 6-foot-6, 220-pound sophomore from nearby Pickerington.
Justin: Micah Parrish
The Buckeyes brought in a ton of talent through the transfer portal heading into this season after losing Felix Okpara, Roddy Gayle, and Scotty Middleton. Ohio State added All-SEC selection Meechie Johnson, as well as McDonald’s All-Americans in Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart.
Regardless of all of those talented players, and I am excited for all of them, I was most excited when I saw that San Diego State’s Micah Parrish was a key contributor over the past two seasons, including their national championship run in 2023.
In his first game as a Buckeye, Parrish recorded 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 5-for-11 from the field, 3-for-6 from three-point range, and 4-for-5 from the free throw line in 30 minutes. Parrish was also one of Ohio State’s best defenders, guarding multiple positions and helping contain Jordan Pope and Jayson Kent.
Parrish is not the most talented player on the roster, but he showed what he can bring to this team against Texas. He is a capable scorer, a versatile defender, and, most importantly, a veteran who has played in the big moments and won’t be rattled by anything.
Continue reading...