The Buckeyes will host No. 15 Oregon and look to move above .500 in conference play
After a double-overtime 89-88 thrilling win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-7, 0-4), the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-5, 2-2) will host the Oregon Ducks (13-2, 2-2) tonight at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio at 6:00 p.m. E.T.
The Buckeyes have a fast turnaround, with guys like Bruce Thornton playing 47 minutes against Minnesota, Devin Royal playing 41 minutes, Micah Parrish playing 40 minutes, and Ques Glover playing 32 minutes at “The Barn.”
Oregon comes into this one as one of the top teams in the conference, with non-conference wins over Texas A&M, Stanford, and Alabama. However, the Ducks’ introduction to the Big Ten conference hasn’t gone as smoothly as their non-conference play did, as they lost to UCLA and Illinois while beating USC and Maryland.
In their last two games, Oregon lost to Illinois 109-77 at home and narrowly squeaked past Maryland 83-79 at home.
If the Buckeyes win this one, they’ll improve to 3-5 in Quad-1 games — a crucial measurement that factors into the NET rankings, which helps determine NCAA Tournament seeding. As of Wednesday night, the Buckeyes were No. 30 in the NET.
Ohio State has played the last five games without senior guard Meechie Johnson, who left the team for personal reasons. His timetable to return is unknown at this time, but he is enrolled in classes at Ohio State for the spring semester.
The Buckeyes and Ducks are similar in terms of scoring, with Ohio State averaging 81.8 points per game and Oregon averaging 79.6 points per game. These marks are good for seventh and ninth place in the conference, respectively.
According to KenPom, Ohio State is ranked No. 31 overall, No. 31 In offensive efficiency, and No. 41 in defensive efficiency. Oregon is ranked No. 27 overall and No. 21 in offensive efficiency, while ranking No. 46 in defensive efficiency.
Preview
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Senior big man Nate Bittle leads Oregon with 13.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 1.8 blocks per game. Bittle is 7’0 and 220 pounds as the center down low for Oregon and is shooting 54 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line. He also attempts 2.5 three-point attempts per game, and is shooting 26.3% from downtown.
Sophomore Jackson Shelstad is averaging 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. However, he has struggled with efficiency, shooting just 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range this season.
Senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy averages 10.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. TJ Bamba, a transfer from Villanova, averages 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Brandon Angel and Jadrian Tracey average 9.5 and 8.9 points per game, respectively. Angel transferred in from former PAC-12 foe Stanford after four season with the Cardinal.
The Ducks have solid depth, with talented players like Supreme Cook, former five-star recruit Kwame Evans Jr., and Ra’Heim Moss all playing more than 12 minutes a game toward the end of the bench.
For Ohio State, junior point guard Bruce Thornton leads the team in points and assists, with 16.9 points and 4.5 assists per game. He has been very efficient, shooting 53.4 percent from the field, 82.4 percent from the free-throw line, and 44.1 percent from three-point range.
Sophomore forward Devin Royal is averaging 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He also shoots 56.5 percent from the field and 73.8 percent from the free-throw line. Royal went 9-for-11 at the free throw line against Minnesota — a season-high in made free throws for the sophomore. However, he did miss the potential go-ahead free throw with four seconds left against the Gophers, leading to overtime in Minneapolis.
Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. averages 11.9 points per game and is a standout shooter, shooting 44.3 percent from three-point range. San Diego State transfer senior Micah Parrish averages 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
Kentucky transfer center Aaron Bradshaw has missed seven games this season but has been getting back into the flow, averaging 8.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. In four games since returning, Bradshaw has averaged 9.8 points per game and is shooting 57.7%.
Ques Glover has provided a scoring spark off the bench, recording 8.1 points per game in 19.3 minutes per game. Duke transfer Sean Stewart averages 5.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Evan Mahaffey averages 4.7 points per game in 21.7 minutes and is one of the top defenders on the team.
The Buckeyes have not been a great free-throw shooting team, but they did make 29-of-33 against Minnesota and were perfect down the stretch in double overtime. Minnesota was 12-for-27.
Prediction
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This is an interesting matchup because Oregon has, at times, looked like the best team in the conference, but they have been inconsistent. However, wins over Texas A&M and Alabama proved Oregon’s talent.
This game will be a tall task for the Buckeyes. They played in Minnesota on Monday night in a game that went to double overtime and was not finished until after midnight. Oregon last played on Sunday.
However, the Buckeyes are coming off an incredibly hard-fought win in that game at Minnesota, and wins like that in conference play can help propel a team forward into a winning streak.
I think the Buckeyes match up well with Oregon, and as long as Bruce Thornton is healthy and back to his normal self, he is the best player on the floor. Aaron Bradshaw matches up well with Bittle — who himself is not the strongest or heaviest center at 220 pounds — so as long as he and Stewart stay out of foul trouble, they can make life hard on the Oregon big man.
Ohio State hasn’t shot the ball well recently, so as long as water finds its level, they are due for a great shooting night. A game at home makes the most sense.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 62.5%
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 76, Oregon 70