The Ohio State men’s basketball team won both of their games last week, starting the season 4-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Those two wins didn’t come particularly easy, however, as they
trailed Appalachian State for the first 18 minutes of their game last Tuesday, and needed a last-second basket to beat Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t a particularly sparkling week for the Ohio State frontcourt, but one could argue that winning games while your frontcourt is struggling means the Buckeyes are nowhere near their ceiling. It’s a group that is still malleable – roles are written in pencil, not pen, and it’s tough to get a good read on how reliable each of them will be after injuries and a few up and down performances.
Here’s how the Ohio State frontcourt fared last week against Appalachian State and Notre Dame:
Christoph Tilly
At a certain point, the Ohio State coaching staff is going to need to have a talk with Tilly about his shot selection, but it doesn’t seem like we’re there yet. The big man has pretty firmly established himself as Ohio State’s second most reliable scoring option – he averaged 13.5 points per game last week in the two wins.
Tilly has been living at the free throw line this season, shooting 31 free throws in the first four games, including 13 in the win over Notre Dame. Tilly went to the free throw line six different times in the second half of that game alone, scoring 10 of his 18 points at the stripe. 14 of his 18 points against the Irish came in the second half, too, as he became more aggressive at and near the rim. His ability to take large defenders off the dribble and
then finish with either hand has presented a challenge for opponents this season, although only one team has been a Big Ten-caliber opponent.
Even with the success he’s had near the basket, Tilly is still letting it rip from three, with very little success. He went 0-for-6 from long range against Appalachian State last week, and after the game, head coach Jake Diebler was asked what his advice for Tilly would be after a tough game shooting.
“I’d tell him that if he just missed six in a row, to keep shooting that thing, because I bet the seventh is going to go.”
The seventh didn’t go, nor did the eighth or ninth, as Tilly went 0-for-3 from long range against Notre Dame on Sunday, making him 0-for-9 over the last two games. Tilly was a 31.5% three-point shooter at Santa Clara last season but only took 1.7 attempts per game. The coaching staff was confident he could improve that mark this season at Ohio State, but so far it’s been rough, and he’s taking about four three-point attempts per game.
Brandon Noel
Noel registered his 30th career double-double against App State, scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and also grabbing 11 rebounds in 27 minutes played. He was opportunistic, cutting well and making himself available for dunks and other high-percentage shots near the basket.
He doesn’t look too eager to shoot any three-pointers, having tried just three of them this year through four games. Last year Wright State, Noel shot 106 three-pointers, hitting roughly 36% of them.
The fifth-year senior was essentially invisible against Notre Dame on Sunday, playing 19 minutes without taking a single shot. He had two assists and blocked one shot, but otherwise was not a factor on offense. There’s probably not a sweeping conclusion to be drawn from one game, but if it becomes a trend and Noel starts fading into obscurity, we may need to reassess our expectations for the two-time All-Horizon League honoree at Ohio State.
A’mare Bynum
Like Tilly, Bynum struggled shooting the ball from deep last week, hitting exactly zero of his five three-point tries in two games against App State and Notre Dame. The freshman hasn’t been over-reliant on the three ball, which is good – at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Bynum needs to use his size to fight for higher-percentage shots. Thus far, only eight of his 19 shot attempts this season have come from beyond the arc, which is a
fine ratio – the jumper might come around soon, or it may not, but he has plenty to fall back on if it doesn’t right away.
Bynum has had some moments early in his freshman season where he has looked indecisive – do I shoot from here, or do I try to get a better shot? Do I go right to the basket on the fast break and take this one-on-one chance, or do I slow it down and pass it back to Bruce Thornton to reassess the situation?
Those moments of indecision have led to a few bad shots and a couple traveling violations, but it looks like Bynum is gradually getting more comfortable. He had an impressive dunk against Notre Dame on Sunday in a crucial spot that I thought showed his confidence shine through a bit as he adjusts to the college game.
After Tilly knocked down two free throws on two consecutive possessions to put Ohio State up 48-46 with 10:12 remaining in the game – their first lead since early in the first half – Braeden Shrewsberry dribbled around a screen near the top of the three-point arc, rose up, and buried a three-pointer in the bottom of the net to put Notre Dame back up, 49-48, with 9:19 left in the game. Ohio State had some momentum, but the big
shot from Shrewsberry quieted the crowd down immediately.
Just as the doubt started to creep back in at the other end, Thornton passed to Bynum near the basket, who immediately went up to the rim with authority, slamming down a rim-rattling dunk over the outstretched arms of Notre Dame’s Sir Mohammed before landing and screaming to the crowd as the official’s whistle blew for a foul on Mohammed.
Bynum was super amped up, and (predictably) was unable to calm down enough to make the free throw a few seconds later. It was still a good sign – Bynum made up his mind, did not hesitate, and finished strong through contact.
Bynum played a season-high 20 minutes against Notre Dame. In two games last week, he averaged 6 points on 38.4% shooting, and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Devin Royal
Royal missed the Appalachian State game with a “nagging leg injury” according to Jake Diebler, who later clarified that the injury was a hip issue. He said he was “hopeful and prayerful” that Royal would play against Notre Dame, which seemed concerning at the time. However, Royal played 33 minutes against the Fighting Irish, which means that even if he’s not fully healed, it looks like he should be good to go moving forward. Don’t
be shocked if he plays fewer minutes the next two games to manage the injury, but if Royal was seriously injured, he wouldn’t have played as much as he did against the Fighting Irish.
The junior forward, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds this year, scored seven points on 2-of-6 shooting, and was 1-for-3 from three-point range. He brought his typical physicality to the glass, grabbing a team-high six rebounds, but wasn’t nearly as physical on offense. Royal’s best tool is brute strength – the ability to move players in the post to earn himself a high-percentage shot. But against Notre Dame he mostly avoided that, possibly because of the injury and possibly because Notre Dame took that option away.
Royal’s health will be the main thing to keep an eye on over the next few weeks – not because he’s going to necessarily miss games, but because he may not play as freely as he does when he’s healthy.
