Coming of a cancellation of the Alabama A&M due to COVID issues there, Ohio State had a few extra days off to prepare for Notre Dame.
WHAT. A. GAME.
I hate the fact that Ohio State gave up 85 points to an average at-best Notre Dame team, but for Ohio State to have such resiliency and scoring prowess to come away with the win is huge! After being down 42-34 at halftime, the Buckeyes took their focus back to attacking the basket with forc
Offensive Performances
This offense was something else tonight.
Ohio State had 56 SECOND-HALF POINTS, led by EJ Liddell’s 17 second-half points.
Liddell finished the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Justin Sueing‘s 16 points (6-10 shooting), CJ Walker‘s 16 points, and Duane Washington‘s 13 points. Considering Justin Ahrens had 12 points for the game, but had nine of those entering the half as one of the few Ohio State contributors, that was an extremely strong second half perfomance.
Musa Jallow played huge seven points with tons of energy. Seth Towns is also expected back soon, which is s huge lift to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State was 5-14 from three in the first half, compared to 6-9 in the second half. That’s almost 48% from three, which was better than the 47% they shot from the field collectively. Ohio State had just eight turnovers, and shot 22-24 from the free throw line.
Those absurdly efficient numbers to have, and that is great to see moving forward!
Defense Critiques
85 points allowed is never unacceptable. However, considering Ohio State was down early and often, the defense showed how dominant it can be late in the second half. They made extremely crucial stops in the most opportune situations, and give credit to Notre Dame for being shot-makers, not shot-takers.
Great Win For The Buckeyes
Not all wins come easy, and this was certainly one of them. Notre Dame was by far the toughest opponent for Ohio State so far, and it was another good test to have. Coming out of it with a victory is even bigger, and hopefully this momentum lasts awhile.
Next Game: 12/13 vs Cleveland State (0-2) at 4:00 PM on Big Ten Network
Image: Matt Cashore / USA TODAY Sports
