Ohio State Hoops Notebook | 12/5/19
12/5/2019 2:27:04 PM | Men's Basketball
ADDITIONAL INFO
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 6 Ohio State men’s basketball team improved to 8-0 with a 74-49 throttling of No. 7 North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Wednesday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Duane Washington Jr. led four Buckeyes in double figures with 18 points while E.J. Liddell came off the bench for a career-best 12 points. Kaleb Wesson went for 10 points and nine boards while CJ Walker added 10 points.
Still undefeated and clinched the B1G/ACC Challenge for the Big Ten.
Highlights from @OhioStateHoops big win at North Carolina: pic.twitter.com/812xEpPh22
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) December 5, 2019
Ohio State has been balanced offensively on its way to the 8-0 start, putting at least three players in double figures in scoring in seven of the eight contests as three Buckeyes average double digits scoring and seven average at least seven points per game. Kaleb Wesson paces the Buckeyes with 12.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while Washington Jr. averages 11.1 points and D.J. Carton pours in 10.1 per game. Kyle Young (8.9 ppg), Walker (7.6), Andre Wesson (7.5), Liddell (7.5) and Luther Muhammad (7.3) also have been steady performers on the offensive end for the Buckeyes.
But the Buckeyes have hung their hats on the defensive end through the early portion of the season. Ohio State ranks:
– First nationally in scoring margin at +25.5
– Tops in the Big Ten and fourth nationally in scoring defense at 52.3 ppg
– First in the Big Ten and second nationally in field goal percentage defense at 32.2 percent
– First in the Big Ten and 12th nationally with 30.9 defensive rebounds per game
– Second in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally in 3-point percentage at 39.6 percent
– Second in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage defense at 28.4 percent
– Third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally in rebounding margin at +9.5
Locking down the opponents’ leading scorer has been a key to Ohio State’s success. The Buckeyes’ eight opponents’ leading scorers have shot 30.3 percent (30-for-99) from the field and 27.0 percent (10-for-37) from 3-point range. Ohio State has limited the group, which is averaging 15.6 points per game on the season, to 10.7 points per game.
Some more numbers to consider:
– The Buckeyes became the fourth team in AP poll history to beat two Top 10 teams by at least 25 points in the same season. Ohio State, which became the first team to accomplish the feat prior to its conference tournament, also topped No. 10 Villanova, 76-51, Nov. 13 in Columbus.
– No opponent has scored more than 56 points against the Buckeyes (Cincinnati and UMass Lowell).
– Ohio State joins No. 3 Maryland (9-0) and Indiana (8-0) as the remaining three undefeated Big Ten teams.
– Kaleb Wesson ranks sixth in the Big Ten with a 79.1 free throw percentage and ninth with 9.1 rebounds per game.
– Washington Jr. ranks second in the Big Ten, connecting on 51.4 percent of 3-point attempts.
– The 16 made field goals by Stetson against the Buckeyes Nov. 18 are tied for the fewest allowed by a Big Ten team this year.
– The Buckeyes held the Tar Heels to 17-for-62 (27.4 percent) from the field, marking the second-best defensive effort by a Big Ten team this season and the lowest field goal percentage by North Carolina in the history of the Dean Smith Center. Purdue held Jacksonville State to 27.1 percent from the field Nov. 23.
– North Carolina came into the game second nationally with a +16.7 rebounding margin. The Buckeyes held a 48-32 advantage on the boards against the Tar Heels.
– Ohio State’s bench is outscoring its opponents 244-97 through eight games.
– No. 10 Villanova did not record a single steal against the Buckeyes Nov. 13, marking the only time this season an opponent of a Big Ten team has failed to notch a steal.
The Buckeyes open Big Ten play when they host Penn State at noon Saturday at Value City Arena. Tickets are available for purchase online here.
