Men’s Hoops Returns To Action Monday – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/12/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 12, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – With a visit to Kansas looming, No. 13 Ohio State gets one more tune-up when it faces another pushover in Coastal Carolina.
Monday’s contest comes three days before the Buckeyes (3-1) play their first game of the season against a ranked opponent. They take a trip to Lawrence to battle the fifth-ranked Jayhawks on Thursday.
Preparing for that clash, Ohio State plays its fourth straight game against an inferior opponent. The Buckeyes have beaten up on the likes of Vermont, Duquesne and Florida A&M over the last two weeks, winning those contests by an average of 35.7 points.
The story should be the same against Coastal Carolina (1-5), a Big South Conference member which has lost four in a row. While the Chanticleers were being routed by Dayton, 104-79, on Saturday, the Buckeyes were blowing out Florida A&M, 99-47.
Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien took advantage of the situation by giving plenty of minutes to his young bench, and reserves Cobe Ocokoljic and Will Dudley came through with career highs of 18 and 12 points, respectively.
“We got a lot of young players some time,” O’Brien said. “We are still trying to get ourselves comfortable, especially our young guys.”
The win was the Buckeyes’ most lopsided decision since 1991 and equaled the team record for most points scored in a game at Value City Arena. It also marked the fourth time in as many games Ohio State has held the opposition under 60 points, the program’s longest such streak since 1981.
The Buckeyes have been nearly perfect since losing the season opener to Notre Dame on a buzzer beater.
Michael Redd has been solid since that defeat, averaging 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds over the last three games. The All-America candidate scored just 11 on 4-for-16 shooting with four rebounds in the loss to the Irish.
Matt Gladieux leads Coastal Carolina in scoring at 19.2 points per game after collecting a season-high 26 in the loss to Dayton.
