The Buckeyes welcome in Doug Gottlieb and Green Bay senior guard Anthony Roy, the nation’s leading scorer.
After a short break in between games, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is back and ready to take on Doug Gottlieb and the Green Bay Phoenix.
The Buckeyes are 4-1 overall and 3-0 at home, while Green Bay is 2-4 overall and 1-3 on the road. Since the Buckeyes’ 78-64 loss at No. 23 Texas A&M, they are 2-0, with an 80-30 win over Evansville and a 104-60 win over Campbell.
Doug Gottlieb was hired as the Green Bay head coach after spending time as a sports talk radio host and Sportscenter anchor. He is the now the head coach of the Phoenix and still does a sports talk radio show on FOX Sports.
Gottlieb played college basketball from 1995-2000 for Notre Dame and Oklahoma State, twice leading the nation in assists, and professional basketball (including USBL, leading the league in assists).
Preview
Ohio State’s freshman sensation John Mobley Jr. is leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game off the bench while playing just under 20 minutes per contest. He is already one of the best shooters in the country, shooting 59.3 percent from three-point range.
Junior point guard Bruce Thornton is averaging 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 54.1 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal is averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and senior guard Micah Parrish is averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Meechie Johnson is averaging 9.6 points per game, but has struggled in the first five games this season with turnovers and — at times — shot selection.
Sophomore center Aaron Bradshaw is averaging 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He missed Ohio State’s game against game against Campbell on Friday after it was announced he was away from the team and not participating in team activities. There has been no new information on that as of Monday morning, and he is still away from the team.
As a team, Ohio State is shooting 43 percent from three-point range in five games thus far, and two of its top three scorers come off the bench.
Green Bay is led by the nation’s leading scorer, Anthony Roy, who is averaging 28.0 points per game. Roy also averages 5.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game on 52.5 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three-point range.
The senior guard has scored 30 points or more in three games, with his season high of 35 points coming against Western Illinois in a 14-point win. He has scored over 30 points in Green Bay’s last two games.
Sophomore forward Marcus Hall is averaging 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game in 35.5 minutes per contest.
Jeremiah Johnson is a freshman guard who is averaging nine points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Foster Wonders and Preston Ruedinger are averaging 6.7 and 6.5 points per game, respectively.
Prediction
Green Bay is ranked No. 257 on KenPom. For reference, Evansville is No. 264, and Campbell is No. 279, so the matchup is comparable from an analytics and metrics standpoint. Green Bay lost to Evansville 98-81 last Friday and will play Campbell this coming Saturday.
This is the third of three games in a row that Ohio State needs to win and move on. They are the far superior of a team and so far, they have handled those teams with ease this season. They need to continue to do that as they head into a big game against Pittsburgh at home on Friday. The Panthers, who are 6-1 this season and are 17th in KenPom, will be the Buckeyes’ biggest test since Texas A&M.
I think the Buckeyes will win easily, and we will see more production from the deeper bench guys like Colin White, Austin Parks, and even Ivan Njegovan, who we have not seen much from.
Aaron Bradshaw, Sean Stewart, and Ques Glover all missed the Campbell game. Stewart and Glover are questionable to play, and Bradshaw will not play since he has not rejoined team activities.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 97.8%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: BTN
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 86, Green Bay 58