Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten (23-10, 11-7)
Ohio State started off the year hot, thanks mostly to a cupcake schedule. The Buckeyes entered conference play 11-2, but those two losses came against OSU’s only two ranked opponents. It was an up-and-down regular season in the Big Ten for this team after that, with road losses mounting at a furious clip. Through the struggles though, one shining star emerged, capable of taking Ohio State to the promised land.
Big Wins: 1/25 Indiana (82-70), 1/29 Maryland (80-56), 3/1 Purdue (65-61)
Bad Losses: 1/10 at Indiana (66-69), 2/4 at Purdue (58-60), 2/22 at Michigan (57-64)
Coach: Thad Matta
Why They Can Surprise:
Anywhere this team goes, it will be on the back of freshman point guard sensation D’Angelo Russell. Russell was a highly rated prospect coming out of high school, but was overshadowed by some of the other players. ESPN had him as a five-star player and the number one shooting guard in the country but just the 13th-rated overall prospect. Nevertheless, within weeks of the season commencing, two things were obvious. One, Russell has point-guard skills for days and doesn’t have to be a shooting guard. Two, there are not 12 better players than him in the country of any age, let alone 12 freshmen. He shoots it well from three and the foul line; he can score from anywhere on the court. His rebounding is immaculate for his position. Combined with senior Shannon Scott and a lot of young depth, Ohio State has some of the most productive guards in the nation as far as creating havoc on the defensive end, while also sharing the basketball so effortlessly on offense. For a team that lost so much leadership and firepower from a season ago, OSU retooled the roster almost overnight thanks to its freshmen.
Why They Can Disappoint:
If this team gets bounced early, it will be because the rest of the Buckeyes roster outside of D’Angelo Russell is not D’Angelo Russell. But in all seriousness, Ohio State has struggled to find consistent second options. Russell leads the team in scoring by a very healthy margin. Outside of him, Thad Matta’s club rotates in a lot of bodies but is mediocre at putting the ball in the hoop, although they do so efficiently. Without a strong inside presence (Amir Williams often can’t stay on the floor because of foul trouble), the load continually falls back on the backcourt. The lack of quality wins, especially out-of-conference, could also foreshadow this team’s undoing. The Buckeyes’ best win against a non-Big Ten team might have been blowing out High Point at home in mid-December.
Probable Starters:
D’Angelo Russell, Freshman, Guard, 19.3 ppg, 5.1 apg, 56. rpg, 1.6 spg
Shannon Scott, Senior, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 5.9 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.8 spg
Sam Thompson, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Marc Loving, Sophomore, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Amir Williams, Senior, Center, 6.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Jae’Sean Tate, Freshman, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Kam Williams, Freshman, Guard, 5.7 ppg
Keita Bates-Diop, Freshman, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Anthony Lee, Senior, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Trey McDonald, Senior, Center, 2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.0 (23rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.5 (54, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.8 (8, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (59, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.9 (115, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.6 (59, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.3 (242, 11)
Rebound Margin: 2.9 (85, 5)
Assists Per Game: 15.4 (27, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.2 (47, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Dayton
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Iona
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Iowa State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Arizona
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Wichita State
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Loyola Maryland
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Gonzaga
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Cincinnati
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Syracuse
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over George Mason
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Siena
2008 NIT First Round win over UNC-Asheville
2008 NIT Second Round win over California
2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Dayton
2008 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
2008 NIT Final win over Massachusetts
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Central Connecticut State
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Memphis
2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over Georgetown
2007 NCAA National Final loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
