Should the Buckeyes play at a faster pace?
Ohio State’s Jamari Wheeler fights through pressure from IUPUI defenders during the Ohio State vs. Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis men’s basketball game Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at the Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center.
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The Ohio State basketball team is preparing to embark on a tough road trip in the Big Ten. A change in the pace of play this Buckeye team plays at could do wonders and make them even more dangerous on the offensive end of the floor.
The Buckeyes currently play at a 66.6 pace which ranks 10th in the Big Ten. It’s fair to say they play at a pretty slow pace. Coach Holtmann likes to slow it down and stay patient for a good look. It is an efficient way to run an offense and it has worked for the Buckeyes this season. But, there have been some cases where pushing it up the floor after a rebound or made basket could make a difference.
Playing at a faster pace in the offense can create so many opportunities for more guys to score. We’ve all been wishing for Justin Ahrens to get hot and start seeing a bucket to shoot into instead of a hoop. A transition three from Ahrens would be electric.
Pushing it to Malaki on the wing and then letting him create on the break would give him more confidence. Running a transition pick-and-roll with Jamari Wheeler and E.J. Liddell or a quick post seal from Zed Key would be another way to get quick points.
I think changing to play at a faster tempo would be huge for this Buckeyes team moving forward. They can rely on Liddell and Malaki Branham for go-to scoring, but what the Buckeyes are in need of is scoring from other role players like Justin Ahrens, Kyle Young, Eugene Brown, as well as consistent play from Zed Key and Jamari Wheeler.
It’s tough to tell with Coach Holtmann and what he will do in his offensive schemes. This is about finding ways to create more opportunities for everyone and get more contributions on the offensive end. If the Buckeyes are able to figure that out, this could be a team that can make a serious run here in February.
The Ohio State basketball team travels to Minnesota tonight to start their tough road trip in the Big Ten to finish out the month of January. I’m not saying they will change their pace and play fast, but if they do it could be a huge move for this team and could lead to a big win over the Gophers.
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