Ohio State Cliffs Notes game plan
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Much like Ohio State, Maryland doesn’t have a traditional, true center that gets a ton of minutes. The Terps also aren’t very deep, with just seven guys averaging over 14 minutes per game. You’ll see a pace much slower than what you’ve seen from them in past years. For Ohio State, that presents some opportunities. OSU’s frontcourt (if you want to call it that), should be able to go to work in and around the lane against a smaller lineup. Also, it’s not the Chris Holtmann’s style to go up and down, but you may see a little faster pace than usual to take advantage of the depth on the bench.
Defensively, Ohio State will continue to use tough-nosed man-to-man defense and rally to help out when the ball sags in the lane. The ‘Terps aren’t a great three-point shooting team, but can bomb away if you allow. You’d rather allow mid-range jumpers and dribble drives because Maryland is not a particularly good free-throw shooting team at just 68.2 %.