It looked bleak a little early — spotting the Hawkeyes a 7-0 lead — but Ohio State may have just put the most complete game it has all season together in beating a ranked Iowa team by twenty, 90-70.
The Buckeyes got contributions from some usual suspects, but also got a lift from a surprising source in Justin Ahrens (more on that later).
It was a win Ohio State simply had to have, and it more than took care of business. Here’s three things we observed.
Next … Take two Wesson
Both Wessons came to play, and Kaleb rebounded from the first game vs. Iowa
There was a period in this game where the Wesson boys were taking over. The bigger and younger of the two was getting things done down on the blocks, and the elder was hitting three-pointers and locking down on the defensive end.
More than that though, Kaleb Wesson rebounded well after a nightmarish first game on the road against Iowa. He fought for position down low, and when he got the ball he finished around the rim and imposed his will. The big man finished with eighteen points on 6 of 11 shooting.
Well done Wesson boys.
Next … An unlikely hero
Ahrens you ready?
Who saw this coming?
Chris Holtmann rewarded freshman Justin Ahrens for his attitude and work in practice over the last couple of weeks. He had a solid showing in his first major minutes last week, but man oh man, did he go off tonight.
The kid plays hard, and he got a bushel of points tonight for his efforts. All the kid did was score 29 points on seven of eleven shooting (6 of 10 from three). More than just shooting the ball though, he was solid, strong and assertive throughout.
You can bet his minutes will only increase after this one. It’s an emerging weapon that could pay huge dividends going forward.
NCAA Tourney Bound?
Take that bubble …
Okay, it’s not over yet. I mean Ohio State can’t lay an egg from here on out, but this is a huge resume building win. Coming into the game, Ohio State had yet to beat a team ahead of it in the Big Ten standings and had been really resting on some road wins early in the season.
No longer.
This was a win dominating win over a ranked ball club and there’s no doubt this will significantly boost Ohio State’s chances to get into the NCAA Tournament. It’s hard to see this team’s bubble bursting at this point. But wait, don’t celebrate just yet because things have been highly inconsistent in 2018-19.
