Ohio State men’s basketball continued its winning ways, routing Central Michigan at home, 88-61 on Wednesday evening.
The win improves the Buckeyes early record to 6-1, which puts them with the second best record of the Big Ten. A pause from non-conference play is next with a game against Minnesota at the Schott, but they should relish yet another impressive win.
There wasn’t much to complain about after watching this game, the Buckeyes trailed just once against the Chippewas, dominating the majority of the contest, trailing for just 12 seconds.
Find out what we learned about Ohio State after its latest win, this one at the hands of Central Michigan.
Bruce Thornton continues his impressive play
Quick 5️⃣ points from @Bruce2T_ 😤
OSU: 16
CMU: 12
1H 11:29 #GoBucks | #Team125 pic.twitter.com/7ZALxeL4en— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) November 30, 2023
What we learned
As the Ohio State offense struggled early against CMU, Thornton carried the Buckeyes. He scored 19 points, which was almost half of the entire team’s score of 41. The sophomore was on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 3-of-5 and shooting 7-of-9 from the field overall during the first 20 minutes. Thornton would cool off in the second half, finishing with 25, but he led the way for the blowout victory.
Felix Okpara has his best offensive game of the year
Flex on em Felix 💪 pic.twitter.com/G0sg8a7yg6
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) November 30, 2023
What we learned
The Buckeye offense won’t ever revolve around Okpara, but he knows his assignments perfectly on that end of the court. He rolls very well off screens, also puts himself into great position to get lobs. Okpara struggles from the line, but did make half of his four attempts. He finished 6-of-6 on the night for 14 points, to go along with 9 rebounds and a block. There were contributions from all over from another sophomore.
The Ohio State defense continues to be stingy
Buckeyes on top through 1️⃣.@Bruce2T_ leads the way with 1️⃣9️⃣ points so far tonight 😤#Team125 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ExAnFMAqEA
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) November 30, 2023
What we learned
Tonight’s opponent hasn’t been a high scoring team, but that didn’t matter for the Buckeye defense. It held the Chippewas right at 40% shooting on the night, constantly contesting shots from all over the court. The blocks and steals weren’t driving the OSU defenders, it was their effort and tenacity. You can’t really teach that, so it was great to see the Buckeyes excelling in this department.
Jamison Battle was cold, but the Buckeyes didn’t need him
✌️ more from @battletime510
OSU: 73
CMU: 53
2H 5:15#Team125 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/H8sVoMUrQz— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) November 30, 2023
What we learned
Battle had been on fire from beyond the arc over the last four games, making 11-of-26 attempts. The transfer only made two of his six shots from deep, as he struggled, but still was able to chip in 13 points. The Buckeyes offensive output was fairly balanced, which is a testament to how deep this team has become while not having to rely on just one player to put up points.
Ohio State is ready for Big Ten play
Make it 5️⃣ in a row. #Team125 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/UvqYxf9RCP
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) November 30, 2023
What we learned
Although the nonconference portion of the schedule isn’t complete, the Buckeyes will start Big Ten play when they next hit the court on Sunday against Minnesota. Ohio State has shown it can win a high scoring, up-and-down game, but also a slower, grind-it-out pace as well. Even the Buckeyes lone loss against Texas A&M was close. This team is ready for the Big Ten grind.
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