Ohio State men’s basketball team needed to get its confidence back, and did that at home on Saturday afternoon with a win over Penn State, 79-67.
The Buckeyes didn’t play their best game, but it was enough to defeat a Nittany Lions team that was outmatched. Ohio State’s engine, point guard Bruce Thornton, had one of his worst games of the year, scoring just 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field.
Aside from that there were plenty of positive developments for the Buckeyes in this win. Let’s take a look at what we learned about Ohio State as the ended its 3-game losing streak and improved to 13-6 on the season.
Ohio State came out early with its intensity
Make it 16-0! 😤@Felixokpara24 x @OhioStateHoops 🔨 pic.twitter.com/0YR6GBX2b7
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 20, 2024
What we learned
The Buckeyes very much seemed like they wanted to end their three-game slide against Penn State, jumping out to an early 16-0 lead. They were focused, hitting shots, and play great defense. Ohio State needed to enforce its will against a mediocre team, which is exactly what they did early on. Unfortunately, like many recent games, the Buckeyes struggled closing the game out after leading by 23 at one point and allowing the game to get much closer than it ever should.
Roddy Gayle Jr. is looking like he’s breaking out of his slump
Ohio State is ahead of Penn State 33-19 at the half.
Roddy Gayle Jr. leads both teams in scoring with 10 points. pic.twitter.com/FSQCPs7feM
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) January 20, 2024
What we learned
Gayle Jr. has had an extremely rough three-game stretch, which coincided with the Buckeyes’ losing streak. The sophomore guard was fantastic in the first half of play, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Unfortunately, the good start didn’t continue for him as he struggled during the second half of play. Either way, Gayle’s confidence looked like it was retuning, which is clearly a big key for this Ohio State team. He finished with 16 points, five assists and a steal. The Buckeyes will need more performances like this from one of their most important players going forward.
Ohio State was ice cold from beyond the arc, but owned the paint
😏 Scheduled post: a Felix Okpara throwdown‼️@Felixokpara24 x @OhioStateHoops 🔨 pic.twitter.com/4mGXcn8qEl
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 20, 2024
What we learned
It was not a good performance for the Buckeyes from three-point range in the first half, going 0-of-8 as a team. Jamison Battle took just one of those shots, and the volume needs to be significantly higher for the top three-point shooter in the conference. The bad shooting continued in the second half, as OSU did make a few, but ended the game 3-of-18 from beyond the arc. The counter to the bad outside shooting, was that he Buckeyes were able to make their living inside the paint, scoring 40 of their points close to the rim.
Evan Mahaffey terrorized his former team
HOW DO YA LIKE THAT⁉️@OhioStateHoops jumps out to a 14-0 LEAD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EF2YzTKIzs
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 20, 2024
What we learned
It hasn’t been the best week for Evan Mahaffey, as it was reported earlier this week that his father was awaiting a heart transplant. You wouldn’t have thought that anything was bothering him at all after his performance against his former team. Mahaffey was great, as the offense often when through his hands with his teammates struggling. A career high in points with 16, he also chipped in five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Freshman Devin Royal is starting to emerge
7:59 left in 2H: Ohio State 64, Penn State 43.
After Zed Key scored seven straight #Buckeyes points, Devin Royal notched the next six for Ohio State.
The freshman forward is emerging as a paint threat for OSU. pic.twitter.com/3smRAivdGk
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) January 20, 2024
What we learned
Last years Ohio Mr. Basketball winner came into the program with some very big expectations. He has seen some time earlier this year, but hasn’t been productive with it. Over his last two games, Royal has scored seven against Michigan and then eight points today in limited minutes. He made every one of his shots taken, three from the field and two from the line. It’s taken him some time to adjust to this level, but it seems like Royal is starting to come around and become a valuable bench player for the Buckeyes.
A win is a win for Ohio State basketball
Back in the Win Column 😀
4️⃣ Buckeyes scored double digits tonight ‼️#Team125 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/TEJrjO5vm3
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) January 20, 2024
What we learned
After holding a 23-point lead in the second half, you would have expected Ohio State to cruise to an easy win. That wasn’t the case, as Penn State made a run late to close the gap, but the Buckeyes responded. It was their work from the free throw line, going 22-of-25 in the game, many of those makes coming late in the game. Regardless of how it happened, Ohio State badly need a Big Ten win and got it done. That’s the bottom line.
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