If we have to play lackadaisical, sloppy basketball for a half, I’d rather it come with a stirring second half comeback victory than a blowout loss, so at least we’ve got that going for us.
The first half of this one was painful. We trailed 36–24 at the break, which actually felt OK, considering that we had been doubled up at 32–16 moments earlier after assumed nonfactor C.J. Jackson (who was 1–11 from behind the arc entering the game) canned consecutive wide open threes from the wing. An almost-sold out JPJ came down from a boisterous early high to a quiet, beseeching hum, which is eerie and uncomfortable when you’re used to the celebratory atmosphere that has become the norm during this absurd 45-of-46 run of wins.
Ohio State kicked our asses around the court in the first half. They took our lunch money, used it to buy milk, and then poured the milk on us. The Buckeyes’ big, physical guards got into the back half of the paint off of the bounce (which was a problem we also encountered in Columbus last year), and our bigs seemed slow to help, leaving either a dish to a cutting big or a spot-up shooter readily available. When we trapped the post, OSU’s bigs were quick to either hit a cutting second big or Micah Potter for a three, and Thad Motta ran some baseline-centered screen actions that had our guys confused and out of position. Everyone was open and the Buckeyes shot 60% from the field. On offense, we didn’t move with any urgency at all, which completely torpedoes an offense that features continuous movement and rewards players who cut and move decisively. Unsurprisingly, this approach went poorly against a big, aggressive Ohio State team: we shot 28.6% for the frame and would have been completely lost had Ty Jerome (a three and a runner for five points in four minutes) and Jarred Reuter (four points) found the hole in the latter part of the half.
Our guys wandered through the half with the urgency that my family staggered to the car with after Thanksgiving dinner, especially London (who turned it over four times in the frame and could not keep JaQuan Lyle in front of him) and Isaiah (who was a nonfactor everywhere other than a block), who, as upperclassman leaders, are the guys who need to step up bigger than anyone when we have stretches like this.
With seconds remaining in the half, Kyle Guy winked at the crowd when shooting free throws. There was audible laughter, and I actually think it helped fan morale. Pretty much anything would have at that point.
Word after the game was that Tony lit into the team and London in particular more than usual (and maybe more than ever in London’s case). It worked.
The second half opened with a parade of layups. London got one, then Devon, then Darius twice. A few minutes later, we finally took the lead on a London jumper, leading the crowd to think maybe we’d weathered the worst. We had, but we weren’t quite safe. With the effort that went into the rally, a bench-led unit came on and struggled to score, and OSU went back up 50–42. Thankfully, London was there. Perrantes hit three threes in the next five minutes, with the last one tying the game at 55. From there, a team effort carried it home: Devon hit two big free throws to tie it at 57 after a Lyle layup. Marial got a steal and a layup to put us ahead, and then London hit two free throws and hit Isaiah on a post pattern for a dunk and a four point lead with a chance at five. Things got hairy from there: Isaiah missed that free throw and Marial committed a foul that looked like a foul to give in a penalty situation and then missed two free throws, setting Ohio State up for a shot to win. As you know, they missed — we turned in a great defensive possession and Marial forced Lyle into a jumper from maybe five feet further out than where he caught the inbounds pass. We went with a four guard lineup of London, Devon, Darius, Marial, and Isaiah to close the game that worked very well on both ends. I suspect it won’t be the last time we see it against smaller opponents — Marial has the wingspan to really bother smaller fours. All in all, the game reminded me of Cal: a game we managed to eke out against an opponent with NBA-caliber athletes who probably outplayed us.
Notes:
- Jack Salt was very good. He struggled some defensively in the first half, but was an intimidating presence in the lane and was a tremendous help defender in the second. He plays every bit of 6'11'’ and 247.
- I sometimes take issue with Marial firing 17-footers with 28 seconds on the shot clock, but he is probably our best all-around scorer until Kyle Guy grows into the role, and so taking those shots is probably part of that experience.
- Devon Hall was our best player — as a diver to the rim and perimeter defender — for much of the night. If he ever gets confident leading a fast break and learns to finish at the rim, he’ll be so good.
- Darius played tenacious on-ball defense in the second half. He’s being more assertive on both ends than he ever did (even during his prosperous nonconference stretch) last year.
- This wasn’t a night for Kyle (who was late defensively a couple of times) or Mamadi (who attempted to make every play at double speed), which is forgivable because it was their first “big” college basketball game. They’ll be fine.
West Virginia is up next.
