What Buckeyes can work on during layoff
There are two numbers that are threatening to ruin Chris Holtmann’s holiday season.
The first is nine, as in the number of days in between games. The Ohio State men’s basketball team hosted Rutgers on Dec. 8 and won’t play again until Dec. 17 when it faces North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. The second is 19, as in the number of consecutive Big Ten games the Buckeyes will play to close the regular season starting with a Jan. 1 game at Northwestern.
In the meantime, Ohio State is attempting to hold what amounts to a second preseason camp of sorts. Unranked to open the season, the No. 23 Buckeyes have spent three weeks in the Associated Press top 25 and with a 7-2 record will face the unranked Tar Heels. The time away will give the Buckeyes opportunities to address a few key areas Holtmann feels need improvement.
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“It continues to be at the beginning (of the conversation), defense,” he said Monday. “That has to continue to be where we grow and improve. That, and rebounding, but our rebounding numbers steadily have grown. That’s an area that can always get us.”
Here are six key numbers Ohio State needs to focus on for the Tar Heels and beyond.
97.6 – adjusted defensive efficiency
A season ago, Ohio State’s lack of defense presence helped send a team with two future NBA players out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round. The Buckeyes finished 111th nationally, allowing an average of 97.6 points per 100 possessions according to KenPom.com. That marked the worst number of Holtmann’s five seasons at Ohio State and had been topped by just one of Thad Matta’s teams: the 2016-17 team that allowed 101.1 points per 100 possessions, went 17-15 overall and ended with the coach being fired.
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In Ohio State’s five games against high-major competition, the Buckeyes have held just one opponent below 100 points per 100 possessions: Cincinnati, which is 6-4. Otherwise, San Diego State (122.5), Texas Tech (118.0), Duke (116.8) and Rutgers (103.5) have topped that mark. Ohio State went 9-11 last year when teams topped 100 points per 100 possessions and 3-6 when opponents were at better than 115.
6 – games with double-digit turnovers
A team with a freshman point guard that features four first-year players and a completely rebuilt backcourt is never going to be one that is among the nation’s best in taking care of the basketball. But when the defense is showing signs of slippage and the offense remains elite (No. 3 in adjusted offensive efficiency, averaging 117.7 points per 100 possessions (and 79.0 per game), taking care of the ball and ending possessions with shots is critical.
The Buckeyes have played some teams that are among the nation’s best defensively, but they’ve only finished with single-digit turnovers against San Diego State (loss), Cincinnati (win) and St. Francis (Pa.) (win).
57.5% – percentage of turnovers from non-primary ballhandlers
Although he leads the team in minutes played and almost exclusively has the ball in his hands while on the court, freshman Bruce Thornton does not lead the Buckeyes in turnovers. That title belongs to sixth-year graduate forward Justice Sueing, who in shaking off the rust of a missed season due to injury has turned it over 17 times in 227:57. Thornton is next with 16 turnovers in 258:35, but his primary backup, fifth-year Oklahoma State graduate transfer Isaac Likekele, is fifth with 10.
Freshman Brice Sensabaugh is third with 13 turnovers in only 174:09 and third-year center Zed Key is next with 12 in 230:31. Sueing does handle some occasional ballhandling duties, but the forward needs to limit his turnovers going forward. Same for Sensabaugh, whose role only figures to grow.
18.5% – Justice Sueing’s 3-point shooting percentage
The return to play has featured fits and starts for Sueing, a lynchpin for this team with his versatility, size and experience. And while he erupted for a career-high 33 points in Ohio State’s final game at the Maui Invitational in his home state, Sueing is third in scoring at 12.7 points per game but has consistently struggled to connect from 3-point range. A career 33.8% shooter from deep, Sueing’s best season came with the Buckeyes, when he went 22 for 61 (36.1%) two seasons ago.
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This year, though, he’s 5 for 27 (18.5%) from 3-point range while the rest of the roster is 40.3%. Sueing’s ability to drive, draw contact and get to the line is a hallmark of his game, but without at least a respectable 3-point shot teams will sag off of him and clog the lane. There’s enough of a track record to indicate that Sueing is due for a hot streak at some point that will help his numbers return to where they have been historically, but for now it’s one part of his game that is still coming back.
278 – Ohio State’s national tempo rank
A consistent talking point during the preseason was the desire to play with a faster pace in order to prevent opposing defenses from forcing the Buckeyes to beat them in the half-court. While go-to scoring threats are emerging, a team with versatile players capable of grabbing rebounds and pushing fast breaks entered the season hoping to increase its tempo and score transition baskets.
According to EvanMiya.com, though, Ohio State entered Tuesday night ranked No. 278 nationally in tempo. That was the ninth-slowest mark in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes aren’t about to suddenly become the nation’s fastest team, but any quick opportunities in Big Ten play could be critical.
48.1% – Brice Sensabaugh’s percentage of possible minutes played
There are multiple factors at play, most notably on the defensive end, but Sensabaugh’s offensive production through nine games figures to have him in line for an increasing role as the season progresses. That is true for the four freshmen in the rotation as well, but the prolific forward is Ohio State’s second-leading scorer (14.1 points per game) while averaging only 19.4 minutes per game. That ranks sixth on the roster.
Sensabaugh remains a work in progress defensively (on EvanMiya’s website, Sensabaugh has the third-lowest individual defensive rating on the roster), but Holtmann has described him as a player who can roll out of bed and get buckets. If he can continue to commit himself to improving on the defensive end, Sensabaugh will play himself into the professional ranks before too long.
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