The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Buckeyes-Mountaineers headlines top 25 games
Buckeyes face Mountaineers in Cleveland
Ohio State meets West Virginia in Cleveland in matchup of ranked teams. The Buckeyes have already beaten Villanova, North Carolina and Kentucky in nonconference play so far.
Chris Holtmann has already seen his Ohio State team claim three wins against marquee nonconference opponents. The second-ranked Buckeyes have a chance to get another before getting into the bulk of their Big Ten schedule.
Fresh off a victory against Kentucky, the Buckeyes face No. 22 West Virginia on Dec. 29 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in one of two games on this week’s AP Top 25 schedule matching a pair of ranked teams.
Ohio State (11-1) beat now-No. 10 Villanova by 25 points on Nov. 13, then opened the December schedule by going to North Carolina and winning by the same margin to give Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams his most lopsided home loss in Chapel Hill.
Then came a win against Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas over the weekend, a game that saw the Buckeyes shoot 50% while holding the Wildcats to 34.5% after halftime. Ohio State led for nearly 33 minutes of the 40-minute game.
It’s the type of schedule that Holtmann believes has challenged his players for what’s ahead and is a selling point in recruiting.
“We still want to have games that are going to grab the attention of our fans and probably more importantly are going to engage our players and challenge them,” Holtmann said before the Kentucky win.
Ohio State entered the week as KenPom’s topranked team, ranking sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency (113.9 points per 100 possessions) and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency (86.2 points allowed per 100 possessions).
The Buckeyes’ only loss came Dec. 15 at Minnesota. And their marquee wins could help them secure a high seed in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday, if they keep winning.
“I’ve said it after big wins, I’ve said it after tough losses: you’re not defined by any (particular) one game in college basketball,” Holtmann said. “What you’re really defined by is how you progress and grow as the season goes on.”
Bluegrass State battle
Louisville and Kentucky have both been part of the revolving door at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this season. Now they’re preparing to meet in Saturday’s renewal of the instate rivalry at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
The third-ranked Cardinals (11-1) have lost six of seven meetings with the 19th-ranked Wildcats (8-3), who fell 13 spots in Monday’s poll after losing to Utah in Las Vegas, followed by the Ohio State loss.