Ohio State Hoops Notebook | 11/14/19
11/14/2019 1:00:50 PM | Men's Basketball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 16 Ohio State men’s basketball team improved to 3-0 on the year, leading from start to finish in a 76-51 victory over No. 10 Villanova Wednesday night at Value City Arena.
Duane Washington Jr. led five Buckeyes in double figures against the Wildcats with 14 points to go along with five rebounds while Luther Muhammad added 11 points and D.J. Carton went for 11 points, five boards and five assists. Kaleb Wesson recorded his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while CJ Walker scored 10 points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
Through victories over Cincinnati, who was receiving votes in the Associated Press Preseason Poll, UMass Lowell and the No. 10 Wildcats, the Buckeyes have outscored their opponents by 17.7 points per game. No Buckeye has scored more than 14 points in a game (Washington Jr. against Villanova and Kyle Young against Cincinnati) but Ohio State has shown balance on the offensive end with five Buckeyes averaging at least nine points per game and nine averaging more than five points per contest. Five Buckeyes have scored in double figures in each of the last two games.
On the other end, Ohio State has locked down its opponents defensively, leading the Big Ten and sitting 19th nationally in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 54.3 points per game. The Buckeyes have held opponents to a .322 field goal percentage, which is best in the conference and 14th in the country.
Through the first three contests, the Buckeyes have consistently been able to take away the opponents’ best scoring option. Ohio State held Cincinnati’s Jarron Cumberland, the AAC Preseason Player of the Year, to a 4-for-13 shooting night, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. UMass Lowell’s Christian Lutete, coming off a 51-point outing two nights earlier against preseason NEC favorite LIU, went 4-for-12 from the field on his way to nine points. Wednesday against Villanova, the Buckeyes limited Saddiq Bey (Wooden Award watch list) to two points on 1-for-8 shooting and Jeremiah Robinson Earl (BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year) to a 3-for-11 shooting night.
Some more numbers to consider:
– The Buckeyes are shooting 50 percent from the field, good for third in the Big Ten
– Ohio State has shot a Big Ten-best 41.8 percent from 3-point range
– Ohio State has limited its opponents to 25.7 percent from 3-point range which ranks third in the conference
– Wesson leads the Big Ten and ranks 22nd nationally with 11.7 rebounds per game while Young is tied for 12th in the conference with 8.0 rebounds per game
– Wesson leads the Big Ten and sits ninth nationally with 9.3 defensive rebounds per game
– Washington Jr. is shooting 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from beyond the arc to lead the Big Ten
The Buckeyes host Stetson at 8:30 p.m. Monday at Value City Arena. Tickets are available for purchase online here.
