TAKING STOCK Inside
What have 10 games taught us about this OSU team?
The game was over, the week was in the books and Chris Holtmann had a chance to take a breath.
It was Saturday afternoon, and No. 21 Ohio State had just defeated No. 22 Wisconsin 73-55 in its Big Ten home opener. The win was the third in seven days for the Buckeyes, who took a four-game winning streak into a weeklong break from game action as the players went through finals week.
Holtmann’s not much for looking big-picture in the midst of a season. Ask him about much more than a trend, a recent game or the next opponent on the schedule and you’re likely to get a polite dismissal of the question because the focus is only on the next practice, next game, next challenge.
● Native Kentuckian Holtmann asks OSU fans for tornado relief pledges, 4C
And yet, the Buckeyes have a rare full week off. It’s their longest stretch between games since they beat Kentucky on Dec. 21, 2019, and then lost to West Virginia in Cleveland eight days later. It’s a chance for Holtmann to recruit and for his players to recharge, but it’s also an opportunity to take stock of where this team stands with an 8-2 overall record and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
On Monday, Ohio State climbed to No. 15 in the new Associated Press poll. The Buckeyes have three top-20 wins, one against No. 1 Duke.
“I’ve been really pleased with our progress and the fact that we have gotten better,” Holtmann said. “We’ve got to keep improving in those areas, but to be where we’re at right now feels good given the loss of a couple really important players but we know how important Justice was to us last year.”
Here are a few things we’ve learned about the Buckeyes through 10 games:
Liddell is a national player of the year candidate
When he opted to return for a third season, Liddell became the first Ohio State player to do so after earning firstteam all-big Ten honors since Aaron Craft came back for the 2013-14 season. Ten games in, he’s a legitimate contender for every individual award in the sport.
He’s fourth in the Big Ten in scoring at 20.6 points per game, third in blocks (3.0), sixth in shooting percentage (.560), 12th in rebounding (7.2) and 22nd in assists (2.7). According to ESPN Stats & Information, he’s the only Division I player during the past 10 seasons to average 20 points and three blocks through 10 games of a season.
Liddell has led the national player of the year projections on Kenpom.com since he opened with 25 and 29 points, respectively, in the first two games of the season. His offensive usage rate of 34.6 is just behind Evan Turner at 34.7 for the highest-ever by an Ohio State player in the Kenpom era that dates back to 2001-02.
Branham, Johnson, Wheeler logging primary backcourt minutes
Fifth-year Penn State graduate transfer Jamari Wheeler is second on the team in minutes played at 293:18. Firstyear freshman Malaki Branham is fourth at 219:26 and second-year freshman Meechie Johnson Jr. is sixth at 203:16.
Of the possible lineup combinations between the three, the pairing of Branham and Wheeler has seen the most playing time and produced the best plus-minus rating. The duo has appeared in 21 different lineups together for a combined 161:07 and scored 301 points while allowing 244 (plus-57). Johnson and Wheeler are next, having played in 18 different lineups together for 83:13 and going plus-19 (158 points scored, 139 allowed).
The two freshmen have appeared in 18 lineups together without Wheeler, and Ohio State is minus-14 (56 points scored, 70 allowed) in 34:58 when that happens. Branham, Johnson and Wheeler have all played together in six lineups totaling 18:10, and the Buckeyes have scored 32 points and allowed 30 (minus-2) while doing so.
Key, Young proving most formidable frontcourt duo
A prerequisite for Liddell to return for a third year was the chance to prove he could play extensive minutes on the perimeter. That meant a drastic reduction, if not an all-out elimination of, his minutes as an undersized center. With that in mind, three players have emerged as Ohio State’s primary options down low: Liddell, Kyle Young and Zed Key.
Of the possible combinations of the three players, Key and Liddell have logged the most minutes together but Key and Young have done the most damage. The Buckeyes are plus-121 (264 points scored, 243 allowed) in 139:07 when playing Key and Liddell together.
When it’s Key and Young, Ohio State is plus-37 (122 points scored, 85 allowed) in 64:14. Young and Liddell have played together for 99:05, scoring 198 points and allowing 168 (plus-30).
Key is second on the team at 10.4 points per game. Young is third at 10.0. Together, the three have scored 52.8% of Ohio State’s points (Liddell has 27.2% himself) and pulled down 51.4% of the rebounds.
Defense is better but not elite
The 2020-21 Buckeyes played in such a way that late-game leads often didn’t seem safe no matter how much they scored. Ultimately Ohio State finished with the No. 4 ranking in adjusted offensive efficiency per Kenpom, averaging 120.7 points per 100 possessions, but it was defense that did the Buckeyes in. Ohio State finished 82nd in defensive efficiency, allowing teams to score 97.1 points per 100 possessions.
It was the worst mark of Holtmann’s first four years, and after assistant coach Terry Johnson left for Purdue, the primary defensive responsibilities went to Jake Diebler. This year, the Buckeyes have improved more than 30 spots and sit No. 50 nationally at 93.5 points per 100 possessions.
Teams are shooting only 31.4% from 3 against the Buckeyes, the lowest mark of the Holtmann era, and 44.5% from two-point range. That latter number is just off the lowest under Holtmann, behind the 2019-20 team that held teams to 44.2% shooting from inside the arc.