Welcome back to another very sane, not-at-all-prisoner of the moment edition of “You’re Nuts,” where our basketball writers debate a basketball or not-at-all basketball topic from opposite points of view.
Ohio State finally played a real basketball game this week that counts towards their record.
The good – Ohio State won the basketball game.
The bad – Ohio State gave up 100 points in regulation for the first time since 1998, and it was to a Horizon League opponent.
Even though the Buckeyes won the game,
the mood, at least amongst the fans, almost felt like a loss. Perhaps it was a tinge of seasonal depression, the cold weather getting to us, or the looming dread that this team’s defense was really that bad, but the Debbie Downers were out in full force on Monday night! More on that later.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated who would make the 2026 Men’s Final Four. They’ve tried this before, and rarely get any right, but they took another swing at it this year. Connor went with Gonzaga, UCLA, UConn, and Houston. Justin picked Tennessee, Duke, Florida, and Purdue. We will swing back and check on this in April and see if any of these darts landed on the board.
So, Ohio State gave up 102 points on Monday night. It’s a jarring number, but is it as bad as it looks on the surface? Some people do not care about the context; 102 simply can’t happen ever. But, there may be more to it than that.
Or maybe there’s not. That’s why we’re here.
This week’s Question: Are we overreacting about Ohio State’s defense?
Connor: No
Whatever opinion you have of Ohio State’s defense after that game on Monday is valid, I think. If you think Ohio State is the worst defensive team in the country, I’d counter that maybe IU Indy is a smidge worse, but your opinion is valid. If you think the game was played at a rapid pace, so context is needed for that 102, that’s valid too.
To me, Ohio State’s defense is poor enough that they could beat anyone or lose to anyone. If we wake up on Saturday morning and Ohio State is 1-1 and lost to Purdue Fort Wayne 88-87, I don’t think I would be surprised.
IU Indy had over 80 possessions, so they had plenty of chances to score, but Ohio State broke down defensively over and over again.
How many times will Ohio State trap the ball handler, but not sprint to cover the open man on the perimeter when the guard is able to pass out of the double team? How many times will Ohio State fail to communicate on defense, leave a shooter open, and then graze the shooter’s hand as they fly by, sending them to the free-throw line for three free throws? How many times will Ohio State allow much smaller players to grab their own misses, put them back, or give their teammates opportunities to score on second or third chances?
Those things have nothing to do with the pace of the game. You could be playing against 2018 Virginia or last year’s Kentucky team, and those mistakes would burn you either way. Jake Diebler and the coaching staff have to get the defense on the same page, or the Buckeyes are going to have some long nights this season.
Devin Royal might struggle at small forward this year defensively, and Ohio State really has no legitimate post defender that opponents fear when driving to the basket. That is a combination that could lead to teams scoring some points on Ohio State this season, and if you think it’s obvious in the non-conference, just wait for the Big Ten portion of the schedule.
The defense was bad Monday night. It was bad enough that they could lose to anyone on any given night. Hopefully, that’s not Friday night.
Justin: Yes
IU Indy played their second game of the season Thursday night and lost 94-90. They played the same way and shot 78 field goal attempts. They are not a great team, and I am not saying Ohio State shouldn’t have played better, but they are going to have teams playing at a statistical anomaly.
Another reason that I am not as worried is Ben Howlett. Howlett is the new head coach at IU Indy and was 217-37 at his last stop at West Liberty. People keep saying IU Indy is a “bottom 20” Division-I team in the country, but that is a preseason projection. They have a new coach and a young roster that I think will outperform those expectations.
Last year, West Liberty scored 100-plus points in 17 games, including a 162-106 win in regulation. Howlett’s teams play at a crazy high pace and run all game, while running a full-court press for 40 minutes and changing
possessions every 15 seconds. That is an insane pace for a game.
For context, in this game, IU Indy had 82 possessions and Ohio State had 80. Those 162 possessions in a 40-minute game mean that there was a new possession every 14.8 seconds. This pace would lead the country in possessions per game.
Ohio State had a 101.4 adjusted defensive rating Monday night, according to KenPom. That would have ranked 74th in the country last season. Bad, but not insanely worrisome.
Again, I want to reiterate that the Buckeyes did not play well on defense, and they have to be better. But they won’t be giving up 100 points per game often this season. This game was an outlier.
