Basketball preview: Ohio State gets back on track trying to bounce back from Purdue loss against Maryland

A two-point loss to Purdue on Thursday was an emotional one for the Buckeyes, but they quickly had to leave it behind to refocus on another tough Big Ten matchup away. did not. On Sunday at 1 p.m., Ohio State will face a veteran team from Maryland. The team went 10-5 in Kevin Willard’s first year at the helm.

Despite suffering disproportionate losses in two recent expeditions to Michigan (81-46) and Rutgers (64-50), the Terrapins are the nation’s top-ranked according to KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric. Has 30 Defense. A Versatile Perimeter With a large number of his defenders, Maryland ranks among the top 50 in scoring defense and opponent fielding. , is his one of the best teams in the country.

Ranked #2 in the nation for offensive efficiency, the Buckeyes are facing a better defense this season, statistically speaking. But that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be able to do it easily on Sundays.

“I think one of their defensive strengths is their versatility and their ability to have multiple players who can defend multiple positions. “I think our players handled it pretty well. You have to keep the ball moving, you have to move it and cut it.” I have to keep going, their versatility is their strength.

“Especially when you look at their numbers at home, they were able to actually turn over some teams, so they have to be strong with the ball and defend the ball. And there is no doubt that there are times when you look at a number and say, “What exactly does that number mean?” But on tape they are a good defensive team. That’s the only way. ”

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Things to watch out for

Struggling with tarp offense

Deibler praised Maryland’s defensive numbers, but their offense left much to be desired over the past few trips. And he shot just 26.5% from the floor against Michigan. The Buckeyes ranked him 79th in adjusted defensive efficiency, lower than both of Maryland’s past two opponents, but the Terps tended to underperform offensively as they have recently. there is.

big ten parity

The Big Ten season is just getting started. No team in the conference has played more than five of his league games, but every team knows he has lost at least one Big His Ten opponent, and only Minnesota has won a conference game yet. Is not … Two of his three Big Ten games to date for Ohio State have been decided on the final play of the game, and despite his two recent heavy losses in Maryland, his two conference firsts The contest was decided by a total of 10 points. The Buckeyes are favored for this, even on the street, but few people would be surprised when it’s hotly contested.

Three Important Buckeyes

Felix Okpala

Zed Key left the Purdue game in just four minutes after aggravating a sprained shoulder that had plagued him all season. Diebler and Chris Holtmann did not release an update on the health of his starting center after the incident. This means Okpala, who recorded his career-best 30 minutes in Key’s absence against Purdue, can get his true first start of his freshman season on Sunday.

Related Felix Okpala proved to Purdue that he can be Ohio’s legitimate defensive big man

Bruce Thornton

Holtman said his starting point guard was dealing with an illness going into Thursday’s Purdue game, which resulted in Thornton recording the fewest minutes in six games. Ohio State needs its freshmen to perform at a high level against a team like Maryland, led by a solid senior security guard. After hitting his double-digit scoring streak in his six-game streak from November 30 to December 29, Thornton has failed to do so in each of his last two Big Ten contests, leaving the Buckeyes was able to use his offensive production increase as a meeting. The schedule continues.

Bryce Sensabo

Ohio State’s freshman breakout star is far from flying under the radar. They had their fourth 20-point night of the season against the No. 1 team in the country. When Sensarbaugh leads the Buckeyes in scoring, it’s no longer a frown on his eyebrows: expectations. And there are no signs of him slowing down anytime soon.

3 Important Terrapins

Jameel Young

After dominating opponents in Conference USA with Charlotte over the past three seasons, Young hasn’t felt too restless since stepping up to the competition. The 6-foot-2 senior his guard is Terps’ top scorer, averaging 13.9 points per game, knocking down nearly 42% of his shots and his 30.4 on three-point attempts. knocking down %. Assist the night The Maryland native has already had two of his 20-point games this season, and he’s the only game the Terps have lost in which Young has scored his 18-plus points. am.

donta scott

The 6-foot-7-inch senior forward has appeared in 109 games and started 94 times for the Maryland jersey. In both his sophomore and his junior seasons he was a double-digit scorer, with Scott averaging 12.2 points per game in his career, making him the second-leading scorer in Maryland as a senior. it was done. Scott scored two points with his shot completion percentage of 50.5% and he had 5.9 rebounders per night, his second-most rebounders in the unit.

Hakim Hart

Hart, also a fourth-year Tarp, is averaging 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for Maryland, far behind Scott. The 6-foot-6 guard is a more effective shooter than Young or Scott, scoring 53.9% of his goals on the field and 37.3% of his tries with 3 points. Also, among the Terrapins who average more than 2 fouls per game and get into his line, he is the most accurate free throw his shooter on the team (81.4%).

how to play

Line: OSU -1.5, O/U: 141

Terps had a very hard time putting together a substantial offense against his final two Big Ten opponents. Ohio State has the most efficient offense in Maryland, and the Buckeyes should end the week with a road win, even if Keys doesn’t pan out.

predict: Ohio 75, Maryland 67