Records
Ohio State 1-0, Illinois State 1-1
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Sunday, November 29
Game Time: Noon EST
Venue: Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
Network: BTN
After getting out of the gate quickly and coasting to victory in game one of the season against Illinois State, the Ohio State men’s basketball team looks to make it 2-0 on the young season when it takes on the UMass Lowell River Hawks.
The River Hawks play in the American East Conference and just took down the same Illinois State squad (by ten points) the Buckeyes beat convincingly. It’s not expected to be much of a contest, so it’s another chance for OSU to continue to fine-tune its game, get some different bodies and combinations in the game and figure out what its identity is and who can play with the bright lights of a game on.
The work put in now will go a long way when bigger games — and most importantly — conference competition heats up. If this team has designs for the NCAA Tournament, improvement starts in earnest in these matchups.
Next … The Ohio State game plan
Ohio State cliff notes game plan
Back at it tomorrow 💯 #Team122 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/yV7Oit86nT
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 28, 2020
Look, we’re not going to beat around the bush here. UMass Lowell really has no business hanging with the Buckeyes, and the game plan will be much like it was against Illinois State. This is a great chance to run the offense, get some valuable experience for the new faces, and start to figure out who deserves to be a big part of this team down the line.
Look for Ohio State to get into its offensive sets and work the ball around to multiple players that run in and out of the game. On defense, it’ll most likely be a straight-up man-to-man affair with a premium put on on-ball defending and doing all the little things to continue to improve. There’s really no secret sauce to it.
Next … Key Player And Prediction
Key Player For Ohio State
Kyle Young will look different this year. He's been asked to grow his game and assume a bigger role for the #Buckeyes as a senior. He's also added some new ink. I caught up with @kyle_young25 as his senior (but maybe not last) season at OSU gets started: https://t.co/LpKuw9Mp2I
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) November 23, 2020
Kyle Young. There won’t be many games this year in which the Buckeyes have the edge in the blocks, but this is one of them. Young will be the one counted on down low to provide an option around the rim for OSU this season, and he could use a little dose of confidence. Yeah, E.J. Liddell will also be mixing it up in the paint at times, but the all-around floor game in and around the bucket has to come together Young for Ohio State to exceed expectations this season. He should be able to do some damage in this one.
How It’ll All Go Down
This should be another runaway win for OSU. The Buckeyes won’t get out to a 22-0 lead like they did against Illinois State, but the talent, size, and athleticism of Ohio State will be too much for the River Hawks. The Buckeyes go into the break up by double digits and never look back.
Final Score
Ohio State 84, UMass Lowell 68
Line
Ohio State -23
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