Category: Buckeyes Wire

Ohio State beats Kentucky: 3 Things we learned

Ohio State beat back another blue blood on Saturday night when it took care of Kentucky 71-65. Here’s three things we learned.

If you thought the game on the road against Minnesota was a come back to Earth moment for the Ohio State basketball team, you were sadly mistaken.

Instead of the cracks in the dam resulting in a rush of issues cascading down, instead the Buckeyes have dug in and continued to show everyone they are for real this year. The latest is a tough win against a top ten Kentucky team in Las Vegas that will continue to turn some heads across the country.

Ohio State played Kentucky to a near stalemate through the first twenty minutes, but took care of the basketball and made big plays in the second half to take control and get a fairly sound win against an impressive opponent 71-65.

Here’s three things we learned.

Next … Freshman phenom finding his way

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Ohio State keeps rolling, knocks off Kentucky Wildcats 71-65

Ohio State has taken down another blue-blood, taking control in the second half to beat the Kentucky Wildcats.

Many laughed at some of the very early predictions elevating Ohio State to a top ten squad this year. Many argued common sense knocked the door back down when the Buckeyes were readjusted to a fringe top twenty team just before the season began.

It now seems as though the earlier projections were spot on. That’s because Ohio State just beat another top ten opponent, this time the Kentucky Wildcats 71-65. It did it by making timely plays in the second half, to remain in the lead, then salting it away at with defense and at the free-throw line.

It didn’t always look that way in the first half though. Ohio State struggled taking care of the ball — giving it away nine times. But it buckled down in the second twenty minutes, turning it over just five times.

The extra possessions and good defense helped extend the lead and put Ohio State in relative control throughout.

Freshman point guard D.J. Carton led Ohio State in scoring with 13 points, getting many of his buckets in crunch time. Kaleb Wesson and Kyle Young also finished in double figures with 12 and 10.

With the win, the Buckeye resume continues to get more and more impressive. It has now beaten teams that have won four of the last eight national champions with not even half the season gone.

The Buckeyes now get a bit of a break before taking on another solid opponent on 12/29 when it travels to Cleveland to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.

 

WATCH: Andre Wesson goes up the elevator to block Kentucky breakout

Andre Wesson had a block for the ages you have to watch when he came from behind, climbed the elevator and blocked a Kentucky breakaway.

Ohio State is in a tight one against the Kentucky Wildcats and a play here or there is likely to make the difference in winning and losing. One of those plays might have just happened midway through the second half.

While trying to grab a little momentum in a fast-paced game, Duane Washington, Jr. missed a three-pointer that resulted in a long rebound to ignite a fast break by Kentucky’s Ashton Hagans.

It looked like an easy two, but Ohio State forward Andre Wesson channeled his inner LeBron James to come from behind and pin the ball high up on the glass for a block and keep Kentucky from a big, momentum-changing play.

Click on the below thanks to Fox College Hoops, watch, and feel like you’re soaring with Wesson.

Ohio State uses rebounding, free throws to lead by one over Kentucky at halftime

The Ohio State basketball team took a one point lead into halftime over Kentucky. It won the battle of free throw points and rebounds.

It’s been a fun game to watch so far, but it’s been far from clean game. Ohio State and Kentucky got up and down the court and are both shooting 50 percent or better from the floor, but there’s also some sloppiness on both sides in the second game of the CBS Sports Classsic.

The turnover bug continues to make its way into a talented Buckeye squad, and has kept this game as tight as it is. Ohio State has nine turnovers in the first half that’s led to numerous scoring opportunities for the Wildcats.

For Kentucky, it has been lazy with defense — committing thirteen fouls and sending OSU to the free throw line twelve times. Ohio State has converted on ten of those for a big advantage.

The Buckeyes also lead in rebounds 17-11 to control the glass and cancel out somewhat the charitable work with ball security.

Kyle Young led all Buckeye scorers in the first half with ten points to make up for a Wildcat game plan that seems to be centered around stopping Kaleb Wesson in the post.

It’s all resulted in the Buckeyes leading the Wildcats by a razor thin 37-36 margin. This game will probably be won by whichever team can limit it’s biggest issue in the first half. It all depends on whether Ohio State can take care of the ball, or if Kentucky can quit sending the Buckeyes to the foul line.

Saddle up for what should be a fun second half.

Ohio State’s blowout win over Villanova just got a lot more impressive

Ohio State blew out Villanova, and the Wildcats just defeated the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, helping boost that win on Ohio State’s resume.

The Ohio State Buckeyes dominated the Villanova Wildcats a few weeks ago. The mid-November game was the first one to put Ohio State on the map. They’ve since risen to No. 3 and are currently No. 5.

Back in that game, Ohio State led at halftime 40-22. It was dominant throughout that entire game, and it really wasn’t close at any point. Winning by 25, it was just a complete performance from the Buckeyes.

The Wildcats were then ranked No. 10. Now, entering today, they were sitting at No. 18 — all set to matchup with not Ohio State, but the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

With a drama-filled ending of 56-55, the Wildcats came out on top to knock off the No. 1 ranked team. Without a signature victory, ‘Nova needed this win to solidify itself as a top threat in the eyes of the public.

While building their reputation, Villanova also help Ohio State, who absolutely obliterated the Wildcats.

And, to go along with bolstering Ohio State’s resume, the Cats will now give the Buckeyes a chance to leap into the top spot with a win over Kentucky.

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Ohio State’s rush defense away from home could be a mild concern in the Fiesta Bowl

Ohio State has struggled to defend the rush on the road, and that could be an early red flag for their Fiesta Bowl matchup with Clemson.

Ohio State has not had the same success defending the rush away from home, and that could be a bit of an early red flag for their Fiesta Bowl matchup with Clemson.

The rush defense for the Buckeyes has been a tale of two stories in some ways. While at home, they’ve thrived; on the road, they’ve failed to match that same elite success found at Ohio Stadium.

The numbers speak for themselves. Ohio State gives up 73.4 rushing yards at home and 130.7 on the road. At-large, that makes them a top-five rush defense in the nation, but by taking the effort away from Columbus, it would make the Buckeyes an average No. 37 in the country.

Oddly enough, Ohio State’s home performances have seen names like Jonathan Taylor and have included top-tier teams like Penn State and Cincinnati.

On the road, it’s been a completely different story.

The second time facing Jonathan Taylor the Buckeyes allowed him to let loose with 148 yards, as the Badgers notched 200 as a team. They even gave up 150-plus rushing yards to Northwestern in a 52-3 blowout victory.

Traveling to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes will have to face Travis Etienne and a potent and balanced Clemson offense. With an elite combination under center, on the edge and in the backfield, Ohio State must be ready for a lethal attack.

Etienne, the 5-foot-10 junior back, is experienced. He has eight 100-yard performances with two of them being for over 200 yards. He has over 1,500 yards on the season.

[lawrence-related id=19105]

[lawrence-related id=19436]

He has the skill set, and although Clemson will try to do plenty of damage through the air, if the Tigers can use him to expose some chinks in the armor on the defense, it could hinder the undefeated Buckeyes from moving on to New Orleans.

Knowing what’s at stake, expect Ohio State’s front, led by Chase Young, to be ready on December 28. It has better be.

[lawrence-related id=19066]

 

 

Ohio State DB Jeff Okudah will be key vs. Clemson in Fiesta Bowl

The Ohio State Buckeyes will need star cornerback Jeff Okudah at his best if they want any chance in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are a week away from taking on Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. Both are entering undefeated, and it’ll of course be each team’s most challenging matchup of the season.

For the Buckeyes, it’ll be both Chase Young and Jeff Okudah, two projected top-five picks, that must make their presence felt. However, with what Clemson can do through the air, Okudah might be the most important of the two.

In fact, Okudah will likely be shadowing the Tigers’ most dangerous receiver, Tee Higgins.

A junior, Higgins is a projected first-round pick and tallied over 1,000 receiving yards this season. He’s also been able to find the endzone 13 times, eight of which came in Clemson’s last three games.

The Tigers started off the season as a more run-heavy offense, but have transitioned back to Trevor Lawrence and the receivers throughout these last few weeks. And while there’s more than Higgins that can make electric plays, he’s been the biggest threat to make the most important game-breaking moments throughout the year.

He’s totaled over 280 yards his last two games. It’s clear that for the majority of the season Higgins has been Clemson’s No. 1 target on the edge. That’s where Okudah must come on strong.

Arguably the best cornerback in college, Okudah has forced many opposing offensive coordinators to limit where their offense to one-half of the field. He’s that good.

However, college football’s top wide receiver prospects are from Clemson, Oklahoma, and Alabama. Okudah faces players like Chris Olave and K.J. Hill in practice every week, but Higgins may be a different animal with his size, speed and ability to high-point the ball.

This will be the matchup of the game, and if Okudah wins it, you can expect the Buckeyes to have a good chance to come out on top.

Dwayne Haskins has been named the NFL’s Rookie of the Week

Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins was recognized as the NFL’s Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Eagles.

It probably took longer than anyone thought, but former Ohio State and current Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been named the NFL’s Rookie of the

His team lost the game 37-27 to the Philadelphia Eagles, but it wasn’t because of the effort of the former Heisman finalist. Haskins had his best career game in the NFL by far, completing 19 of 28 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

One of those touchdowns may have looked vaguely familiar to Ohio State fans as well — as Haskins connected with former Buckeye receiver Terry McLaurin for a 75-yard strike. The fact that the connection came in front of former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made it even sweeter.

The Redskins are hoping that the No. 15 pick of last year’s NFL Draft will eventually develop to become the face of the franchise as one of the best future quarterbacks in the league. But so far, Haskins has struggled throwing interceptions and grasping the offense in year one.

He threw another pick on Sunday, but a performance like what we saw on Sunday has to be encouraging for the Redskins organization.

Former Ohio State DE Nick Bosa receives most Pro Bowl votes of any NFL defensive player

For those that thought former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa was going to be a flop in the NFL, they were sadly mistaken. Far from it in fact. Bosa struggled with injuries early on in training camp, but once he got on the field, he remained …

For those that thought former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa was going to be a flop in the NFL, they were sadly mistaken. Far from it in fact. Bosa struggled with injuries early on in training camp, but once he got on the field, he remained healthy and showed everyone why he was worthy of the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Not only has the younger Bosa been arguably the best defensive rookie in the NFL, he’s making a case for the defensive player of the year in the league. And now, to back up that point, Bosa is going to the Pro Bowl, and received the most fan votes of any defensive player.

Behind him? His brother Joey.

We have a feeling this won’t be the last Pro-Bowl Nick — or Joey — for that matter make throughout their career. Too bad for Ohio State there are no more Bosa brothers coming up through high school.

WATCH: Ohio State basketball head coach Chris Holtmann previews Kentucky

Ohio State head basketball coach Chris Holtmann met with the local media in Columbus to preview the challenge of facing Kentucky.

It’s time for the next big challenge for the Ohio State basketball team. Already this year it has taken down Villanova and Cincinnati at home, and blew the doors off North Carolina in the Dean Dome.

Now, it travels to Las Vegas to roll the dice and try to knock off an athletically gifted — albeit inconsistent — Kentucky team.

Holtmann knows the challenge ahead will be a great one, with so much athleticism, length, and quickness Ohio State will have to contend with on both sides of the ball.

He met with the media this week to discuss the matchup, and in case you missed it, we’ve got it for you thanks the fine folks at Ohio State. You can visit the presser by clicking on the below tweet shared by the official Twitter feed of the Ohio State Buckeyes and give it a listen.

Holtmann talks about his squad, the challenge Kentucky faces, compliments head coach John Calipari, and more.

[lawrence-related id=19386]