For the first time this season, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (3-0) was really tested in the first half of a game, falling behind early to Appalachian State on Tuesday night in front of a sparse
Schottenstein Center crowd.
The Buckeyes hit one of their first 12 shots, falling behind 10-2 through six minutes of play. Ohio State was getting plenty of open looks early in the game, but were missing them and gradually falling behind more and more. After Brandon Noel’s layup got Ohio State on the board and made it a 2-2 game at the 18:32 mark, the Buckeyes did not score another basket until A’mare Bynum rebounded his own miss and slammed it home nearly six minutes later to make it 12-6, still in favor of the boys from Boone, North Carolina.
Ohio State took its first lead of the game with 33 seconds left in the first half, courtesy of a pair of Mobley free throws. The Buckeyes finished the first half on a 15-0 run, with a Bruce Thornton corner pocket three at the buzzer making it 30-25 at the break.
Bruce Thornton’s tough and-one layup pushed Ohio State’s lead to double-digits for the first time 4:21 into the second half, and Bruce knocking down a pair of free throws with 11:17 left in the game put Ohio State up 20 for the first time, 53-32.
App State cut the lead to single-digits for a moment in the second half, but once the dam broke, it was all Buckeyes in the second half, with Ohio State coming out victorious, 75-53.
You can check out the full box score below, but you won’t see Devin Royal in there, as he missed the game with a hip injury. Here’s how Ohio State replaced those minutes, and how Royal’s absence impacted Ohio State on both ends:
Who started in place of Devin Royal, and how did Ohio State play differently without him?
Rather than go for a like-for-like substitution with A’mare Bynum, who stands 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Jake Diebler started sophomore forward Colin White. It was White’s first career start, and he played the first 4:24 before getting subbed out for John Mobley Jr. going with White over Bynum gave Ohio State a better chance to string together defensive stops, something they’ve struggled with over the first few games.
Ohio State did play better on-ball defense with White in the game, the issue was they also missed nearly every open shot they got in the first half. The Buckeyes missed their first 11 three-pointers of the game, despite coming into Tuesday night’s game shooting 48% from three-point range as a team. The starting backcourt duo of Bruce Thornton and John Mobley combined to miss their first seven shots, and Christoph Tilly took over 10 minutes to get on the scoreboard.
Defensively, Ohio State had several possessions where they guarded one-on-one for the entire shot clock, forcing a bad or contested shot at the buzzer, and then securing the defensive rebound. Colin White and Gabe Cupps were especially disruptive on the ball, and for most of the game it looked like Diebler did his best to keep at least one of them in the game.
Where Royal’s absence really hurt Ohio State was shot selection. As the Buckeyes fell further behind in the first half, they struggled to get to the basket and take high-percentage shots. Last season, Royal shot nearly 60% on two-point field goals, and was even better from six feet or closer. When things get stale, Royal is typically a go-to option to get the Buckeyes on the board and snap a cold streak with a fading six-footer or an easy layup after backing down a smaller defender. With Royal out, Ohio State got fewer of those opportunities, and settled for more jump shots. Even Tilly, who came into Tuesday’s game averaging 21.5 points per game, only took one two-point shot in the first half (he was 0-for-4 from three in the first half).
The Buckeyes authored a 25-4 run that stretched from the end of the first half into the first five or so minutes of the second half to turn a 10-point deficit into a 10-point lead, but the fact that it took Ohio State nearly 20 minutes to get the offense going against Appalachian State stands out and shows it took them some time to adjust to not having Royal on the floor. Once the dam broke Ohio State ran away with this one, mostly on the back of its boa constrictor defense.
Defensively, Ohio State looked as good as I can remember. Royal’s absence isn’t isolated from that fact — for strictly defensive purposes, Colin White makes more sense as a starting small forward than Royal. The former Ohio Mr. Basketball was aggressive and persistent on defense in a way Royal has not proven he can be without fouling. The Buckeyes also were able to run more three-guard lineups that included Gabe Cupps, who has also shown that he can put pressure on offenses and handle himself without needing to call for help.
Ohio State held Appalachian State to 53 points on 35.7% shooting overall, and 32% from three-point range. App State only averaged .898 points per possession on Tuesday night.
Conclusion No. 1 – Ohio State is a better defensive team when Devin Royal is off the floor, because it gives Cupps and White more minutes. Both guys are superior on-ball defenders than Royal and raise Ohio State’s defensive “floor” when they’re in the game.
Conclusion No. 2 – Ohio State isn’t an NCAA Tournament team without Devin Royal, because they become too reliant on jump shots and susceptible to prolonged cold streaks when he’s not on the floor. His ability to bully his way to the basket and create high-percentage looks is very valuable for this team.
