Buckeyes step up on ‘D’ to beat Penn State
When Ohio State has an offensive game like it did Sunday against Penn State, it usually results in a loss.
The Nittany Lions brought a defense holding teams to 62.8 points per game since emerging from a 22-day COVID-19 pause that directly overlapped with Ohio State’s, and they kept the Buckeyes from establishing any sort of significant offensive flow.
It was not enough to pull off the upset, and the credit for that goes to the Ohio State defense. Despite being held to a season-low 44 shots and 61 points, the Buckeyes won in a fashion not often seen during coach Chris Holtmann’s five seasons. In a game with limited possessions, Ohio State finished with an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 98.6 (projected points for 100 possessions).
With the win, the Buckeyes are 5-34 (.128) when having an offensive efficiency rating at that mark or lower. It’s typically a death knell for Ohio State, but on this afternoon the Buckeyes countered with what Holtmann called their best defensive effort since Christmas.
You can go back further than that, too. Statistically, it was their best defensive win since Dec. 11 against Wisconsin.
“We just have to continue to be better on that end and continue to grow in our efficiency offensively,” Holtmann said. “We weren’t super efficient offensively today. We didn’t make a ton of shots, but we got to the line at a really high level, which was good to see.”
It was Ohio State’s third-best best defensive efficiency performance this season. The 56 points allowed were the second-fewest for an Ohio State opponent this season, one point better than Wisconsin’s 55-point effort in December.
Since coming back from the layoff, Ohio State had gone 2-2 while allowing three of its four opponents to have offensive efficiency ratings of 108.5 or better.
Of all the things the Buckeyes have tried to regain since their return, it’s been a commitment to that end of the court that Holtmann singled out atop the list.
“We lost a little momentum,” Holtmann said. “This group has to continue to recommit on that end, because we can’t overwhelm you with defensive ability across the board. At times our offense can be really, really good, but we can’t overwhelm you.”
The opening minutes against Penn State portended a different outcome. The Nittany Lions were out to a 10-4 lead when E.J. Liddell drew a foul to send the game into the under-16 media timeout. With 15:58 to play in the half, Holtmann delivered a simple message to his players: the intensity has to be better at that end, or this will be a long afternoon.
Three possessions later, Ohio State forced the first of three Penn State shot clock violations. Open looks started to dry up and, although the pace of the game remained sluggish at best, the Buckeyes started to exert some will on the defensive end.
“Coach was saying, ‘Lock back in. Get stops. Don’t take that lead for granted,’ ” Ohio State guard Jamari Wheeler said. “That’s the type of team that’s never going to go away. They’re going to give up runs, but they’re going to keep fighting back and get back in the game.”
It helped that Ohio State took control of the glass. Penn State had five offensive rebounds at halftime and finished with seven as Ohio State finished with a 37-30 rebounding advantage and limited the Nittany Lions to eight secondchance points.
But it also showed that, in a game where the Buckeyes took a season-low 12 3-point attempts and tied another low with only three makes, the defense could help carry the day.
“We’ve had some really poor (defensive games),” Holtmann said. “I think we’ll get back to making shots. The biggest thing we’ve got to be able to do is grow in our defensive effort, and I thought this was a good step.” ajardy@dispatch.com @Adamjardy