Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten (20-13, 11-7)
The 2015-2016 campaign was one of the most difficult seasons for Thad Matta at Ohio State. The Buckeyes have had great teams and great players under Matta, including a trip to the Final Four in 2007. Unfortunately, this season did not have the magic that some of his former elite teams have had. They were very young coming into the season, and last year’s superstar, DeAngelo Russell, left for the NBA. They had a great win against a decent Kentucky team, but for the most part the Buckeyes have faltered in big moments. They were never able to accumulate enough wins to propel them into the NCAA Tournament at-large conversation.
Big Wins: 12/19 vs Kentucky (74-67), 2/16 Michigan (76-66), 2/28 Iowa (68-64)
Bad Losses: 11/20 Texas-Arlington (68-73), 11/24 Louisiana Tech (74-82), 11/27 vs Memphis (76-81)
Coach: Thad Matta
Why They Can Surprise:
The Buckeyes actually performed respectably in Big Ten play and won 11 games in-conference. Most wins were against lower-tier Big Ten teams, but they were still competitive against some of the heavy weights, including a win against a ranked Iowa team late in the season. The Buckeyes have played against good competition and comported themselves well for the most part. They were just not able to finish the deal a lot of times. They have some great young talent that, if they time it right, can blossom come tournament time. Ohio State is one of the youngest teams in the nation (hence their struggles all season long). Jae’Sean Tate was a star freshman for them for most of the year. His season ended in late February due to a shoulder injury, so that will hurt. But they have other good performers in JaQuan Lyle and sophomores Trevor Thompson and Keita Bates-Diop. If those guys can play at a higher level in the postseason, the Buckeyes could win some games.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The game experience has been few and far between for Ohio State all season. All but two players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores. Despite all of the talent mentioned in the previous section, it is a lot to ask first and second year players to carry a team – at least without much senior leadership aside from upperclassman Marc Loving. Plus, losing Tate for the postseason eliminates one of their best scoring options. This is also a poor offensive team in general. They tend to be sloppy and were among the worst Big Ten teams in assists and turnover ratio. A good rhythm was hard to come by in a lot of games. Also, their three-point shooting was poor. They only hit 33% of their outside shots. In big time basketball games, that is not good enough. This team also lacks the depth and talent of years passed in Columbus and it shows.
Probable Starters:
JaQuan Lyle, Freshman, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 4.2 apg, 4.2 rpg
Mickey Mitchell, Freshman, Forward, 1.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Marc Loving, Junior, Forward, 13.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Keita Bates-Diop, Sophomore, Forward, 11.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg1.2 bpg
Trevor Thompson, Sophomore, Center, 6.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kam Williams, Sophomore, Guard, 8.0 ppg
Daniel Giddens, Freshman, Center, 3.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg
A.J. Harris, Freshman, Guard, 2.7 ppg, 1.6 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.7 (239th in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.4 (71, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.5 (156, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (34, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.5 (223, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.4 (180, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.2 (256, 13)
Rebound Margin: 2.1 (122, 6)
Assists Per Game: 11.7 (282, 11)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (196, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over VCU
2015 NCAA Third Round loss to Arizona
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Dayton
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Iona
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Iowa State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Arizona
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Wichita State
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Loyola Maryland
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Gonzaga
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Cincinnati
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Syracuse
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over George Mason
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Siena
2008 NIT First Round win over UNC-Asheville
2008 NIT Second Round win over California
2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Dayton
2008 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
2008 NIT Final win over Massachusetts
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Central Connecticut State
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Memphis
2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over Georgetown
2007 NCAA National Final loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/6
