WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- So what led to Ohio State heading home Friday night after an abrupt dismissal from the NCAA tournament by Oral Roberts?
There were season-long issues that were never fixed, even in wins. there have been specific problems that erupted Friday that were more uncharacteristic but sunk the Buckeyes within the 75-72 overtime loss.
OSU deserved to lose, no matter its widely-acknowledged superior talent. It spent almost 25 minutes playing from behind, turned the shock at an alarming rate (tying a season-high of 16), and struggled to attain efficiently.
The Golden Eagles weren’t far better but made plays when it mattered most.
“We all need to be liable for almost getting it done, and it begins with me first and foremost,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “You’re a two-seed for a reason. meaning you’ve put in great work throughout the season. You had a body of labor that was specialized. there have been some tremendous moments of the season. By and enormous, it had been a special year with a conclusion that's one that we’ve gotta lean into.”
Here are some specifics which will haunt the Buckeyes until next season.
Lapses within the scouting report
Oral Roberts may be a two-man band. Max Abbas is that the lead singer and guitarist, while Kevin Obanor is his drummer. Everything goes through them. They each played all 45 minutes and were liable for 45 of the Golden Eagles’ 70 shots, including 22 of 35 three-point attempts.
That was a performance that had to be known days ago during pre-game research. Abbas is leading the state in scoring at 24.3 points per game, and Obanor added 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds.
Shutting two players down, when a team has all sorts of plays designed to urge them the ball, isn’t reasonable to expect. But you'll make things difficult. OSU didn’t do this. It essentially allowed those two to mix for 59 points while nobody else had quite six.
That’s a failure on the coaching staff. Those two should’ve been the sole two names on the scouting report when producing a defensive gameplan. Instead, they allowed two people to dictate a game. Abbas consistently was ready to handle the ball around the perimeter, occasionally diving to the basket. Obanor had putbacks and was frequently an open safety valve if Abbas was pressured, standing at the highest of the key for an additional 3-point attempt.
“We gave them too many clean looks throughout the sport,” Holtmann said. “Both guys. That’s ultimately my fault. They’ve just had too many clean looks.”
A lack of composure
Have we talked about this enough? It’s why the Buckeyes were on a four-game streak heading into the large Ten Tournament. It’s why every game leading up to the championship was an emotional roller coaster to urge to the finishing line. Now it’s why their season is over.
“I think we had a few of possessions there that we just had rushed plays,” Holtmann said.
Ohio State struggled all afternoon but still held a 64-60 lead with 2:34 left in regulation following a foul shot from Musa Jallow, a floater from Duane Washington Jr., and a foul shot from E.J. Liddell. But with the pressure on the Golden Eagles, the Buckeyes not only went scoreless, but it also didn’t even force ORU to form shots.
Fouls by Liddell, Jallow, and Justin Ahrens all sent Ed Obanor to the free-throw line, where the sport was tied and sent to overtime. That’s not Minnesota having Marcus Carr get hot late, Purdue’s Trevion Williams finding how to dominate within the post, or Michigan scoring on 14 of its last 15 possessions. It’s just simply having a scarcity of composure.
Turning the shock 16 times against a team that ranked 246th in adjusted defensive efficiency is woeful. Settling for threes and contested midrange jump shots rather than making it some extent to permit Liddell — who finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists — to consistently have his way within the post shows a scarcity of discipline and execution. It’s also a reflection on Liddell, who often panicked when double-teamed, leading to his team-high five turnovers.
Washington’s offense features a certain love-hate quality. When he’s on, he’s capable of putting up 30-point performances that keep OSU in any game. But when it’s not there, it results in inefficient 18-point nights on 7-of-21 shooting, 3-of-10 from three-point range.
The problem is one isn't quite sure which version goes to point it out up. More importantly, this coaching staff seemed uncertain about the way to make things better when it’s not an honest day.
“Maybe he was pressing a touch bit,” Holtmann said. “This was their first real experience within the pressure of an NCAA Tournament game. Maybe there are some things I could have done better to relax him because I assumed he played uncharacteristically, maybe a touch too aroused .”
For much of the roster, this was their first taste of the NCAA Tournament. Far too often, it showed.
Uncharacteristic free-throw shooting
Up to four with but three minutes to play, if you create free throws, you win the sport. The Buckeyes shot 76.3% during the regular season (32nd within the country). But that number had been slipping for a couple of games now.
Ohio State made fewer than 70% of its free throws just eight times coming into the tournament. But four came within the past six games. Michigan rallied within the Big Ten semifinal because OSU shot just 57.1% from the road. Friday, it missed nine of 18 attempts. That included Jallow and Liddell going one among two in trips late within the last half, then Washington missing twice in overtime.
“We’ve got specialized free-throw shooters,” Holtmann said. “We’ve got a very good free-throw shooting team. We just missed some critical ones.”
MORE| Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez call it quits: Reports
0 Comments