Records
Ohio State 3-0, Notre Dame 1-1
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Tuesday, December 7
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Joyce Center, South Bend, IN
Network: ESPN2
After a bit of an unexpected challenge from UMass Lowell, Ohio State bounced back nicely and routed Morehead State to improve to 3-0 on the young season. Following that, the game against Alabama A&M was canceled because of concerns with positive testing within the Bulldogs’ program. That means OSU has not played a game in almost a week.
Now, the Buckeyes step up significantly with a challenge on the road against Notre Dame as a part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Will there be rust? Who knows. The Irish have also had games canceled because of COVID-19 and have only been able to play two of the four scheduled so far.
This is a significant litmus test to see where this different look OSU squad is compared to a major school on the road.
Next … The Ohio State game plan
Ohio State cliff notes game plan
While the Buckeyes have been liberal with substitutions and mixing up personnel through the first three games, look for that to shrink down a bit against a more formidable foe.
Ohio State will still play aggressive man-to-man defense, and look to help out as usual with ball pressure and communication, but it’ll be more concerned with the guard play of Notre Dame than what’s happening on the interior. Look for the Buckeyes to rotate defenders out on the perimeter with fresh bodies to disrupt the timing of the offense, create turnovers and get some easy points out on the break.
On offense, it won’t be anything fancy. OSU will continue to roll with its guard play and look to mop up underneath with Kyle Young and E.J. Liddell as situations present themselves. It’ll be an offensive set game with plenty of ball screens, picks and pops, and rotating the ball around for open looks.
NEXT … Key Players For Both Teams
Key Player For Ohio State
C.J. Walker leads the Buckeyes with 5 points and 2 assist. 19-14 Buckeyes, 7:48 1H.
pic.twitter.com/1CUy0kkyhx— Ohio State Hoops Insider (@OSUHoopsInsider) December 2, 2020
Guard, C.J. Walker – We’ve already stressed the importance of Walker this year for Ohio State in previous pieces, but it’s no truer than this game. Not only will the OSU point guard be responsible for getting the offense into a rhythm on the road, but he’ll also most likely draw most of the duties in guarding Notre Dame’s best player (below). He might need to pace himself a bit on the offensive end to make sure he can lock things down defensively, but he needs a complete and comprehensive effort across his entire floor game Tuesday night.
Key Player to Know for Notre Dame
Prentiss Hubb(@PHubb_3 ) vs Michigan State.
Highlight Link:https://t.co/OA4KHU57c8 pic.twitter.com/G5TjtcKBmV— Slept-on Hoops (@SleptHoops) November 29, 2020
Guard, Prentiss Hubb – The 6-foot, 3-inch, junior guard is the catalyst that makes the Fighting Irish go. He’ll bring the ball up the floor a lot and if you don’t stay close to him, he’ll pull up for long-range threes behind ball-screens. Stay on him like a glove, and he’ll try to dribble-drive for his own look at the rim or to create for others. He’s a volume shooter but can be streaky and carry the team if he’s on.
NEXT … The prediction
How It’ll All Go Down
It’s hard to really know what to expect from either team in this one. Notre Dame played fairly well against Michigan State in a loss, but the Irish struggle with shooting the ball at a high level. Either way, expect this one to be a close throughout. Ohio State’s defense will be the answer as it clamps down in a lower scoring affair.
Final Score
Ohio State 71, Notre Dame 67
Line
Ohio State -5.5 (Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.)
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