Not an hour went by and Duane Washington Jr. saw the future.
“We will definitely see them again,” he said.
His Buckeyes have just suffered a 92-87 loss to Michigan, their second in a series of 12 games during which they became the No. 4 team in the country. In the aftermath of the shootout, he had an idea that they would meet again. Or, at least, he certainly hoped that would be the case.
| Who | Where | When | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan (20-3, 14-3) |
Indianapolis, Indiana (Lucas Oil Stadium) |
13:00 |
CBS |
This weekend he will get his wish.
The fifth-seeded Ohio State scored an overtime victory of 87-78, avoiding a completely catastrophic loss against the fourth-seeded Purdue, and advancing to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, where he will face the leading-seeded Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines, now out against the Buckeyes, reached Maryland in the quarterfinals of Lucas Oil Stadium to reach this point.
“I told you earlier in another interview that we’re going to see them again, and here it is,” Washington said Friday. “So we are very excited. On the verge of giving up 1 of this interview with you tomorrow, going to recover and give tips. Just about game plan stuff, stay locked up, do what we have to do to get out with the dub and survive and move forward. The guys are locked and loaded. ”
So far, the state of Ohio has nailed it twice. It will not get any easier in the next game.
Michigan, the country’s no. 4-position, has proven himself as one of the leading teams in college basketball, taking down Iowa, Wisconsin and Purdue and the Buckeyes. It has a top-five offense and a top-five defense, has an enviable mix of experience and youth and has put 92 points on Ohio State the first time they hit a chance on Saturday’s opponent.
The Buckeyes need some magic again from EJ Liddell, Duane Washington Jr. and his company.
“I think they’re getting a little bit more out of this one,” head coach Chris Holtmann said after the win Friday. ‘They do understand that we play a great Michigan team and are well coached and really very good. We have to defend much better than we did in game 1. We need to defend much better. But we need to somehow get our legs under control and be able to respond quickly to a team that is really offensive and defensive. I think these are currently the biggest challenges we need to rest and respond to. ”
Three things to look for
Can the foxes be kept offensive?
No team has lit up the Buckeyes this season, just like the Wolverines.
They have a peak of the singles in opponents in points, points per possession, 3-point percentage, effective field goal percentage and adjusted offensive efficiency. In short, they did what they wanted. Seven-foot first-year center Hunter Dickinson dropped 22 points with nine points, Eli Brooks (17 points) and Chaundee Brown (15 points) each hit a trio of tries, Isaiah Livers had 12 points and Mike Smith had 11 points. and seven assistants recorded. Franz Wagner, a possible NBA draft lottery pick in a few months, had just nine points, but that did not affect much of his team’s productivity.
Given the ongoing defensive problems in the state of Ohio, it’s hard to figure out how Holtmann can make things more difficult on the Wolverines. But somehow, as the head coach said, he has to figure it out somehow to make it happen.
It all starts with how the Buckeyes address Dickinson. Do they allow their big men to take him one-on-one with limited help? Do they double down with him or do they run guys? They both tried, and in the first half he beat open teammates for 3 points, then in the second half he got his buckets in the posts. The state of Ohio will want big days out of EJ Liddell and Zed Key if he has a chance to get the Michigan offense out of rhythm. Kyle Young’s status is unclear as he was evaluated for the concussion after the match.
In addition to the Dickinson issue, the state of Ohio will look to Washington, Justice Sueing, Justin Ahrens and CJ Walker for improved defense against guards and wings. It’s no secret that Michigan has a variety of ways to hurt teams from those positions.
Ridiculous shooting required again
Michigan is going to put up a lot of points. That may just as well be an assumption, and if it does not, the state of Ohio may feel good about it. But Saturday’s game is likely to blow the Buckeyes to a high score.
That worked out the last time – until Sueing’s late-behind-the-back turnover put his team in a hole with two possessions. Washington scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting, and Liddell picked up a double-double with 23 points and 10 boards. Walker (15 points) was the only other Buckeye with more than six points.
The state of Ohio needs some simple things to happen.
Washington and Liddell have to make tough shots again, make smart decisions and score a lot of points. They are the two best attacking players, have proven to be a tough game for the Wolverines and still play well with more consistency than ever before.
The other guys need to produce more. It does not matter if it is Walker, Ahrens, Sueing, Key, Musa Jallow, Young, Gene Brown or Meechie Johnson. They have to play within their roles, make plays and strike shots when asked.
These Buckeyes hit a bunch of tough shots and made a solid Michigan defense look like a pedestrian a few weeks ago. Can they do it again? We’re about to find out.
The same question we keep asking
Are you tired of it? Me too.
But until the state of Ohio can put an end to the questions about his ability to complete games, he will still be asked.
The Buckeyes took away an 18-point lead at halftime on Friday and only beat Purdue once the game went overtime. They took a 12-point lead over Minnesota, with 1:38 remaining turning into a one-point lead with 15 seconds over the previous day.
Somehow they avoided losses despite the mistakes in the second half. However, if these issues resurface on Saturday, it could spell the end of the run in this tournament.
Forecast: Michigan 89, Ohio State 83