Ohio State cliff notes game plan
Back to work at 2PM on FS1#Team122 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/syRGfBmZ8c
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 26, 2020
Let’s start with defense on this one because the effort and priority have to be a little different than against other teams. Northwestern has been filling it up from beyond the arc, and it has multiple players that can bomb away from deep. The Buckeyes will still play the same, staple man-to-man defense they’ve been known for, but there has to be a real intention to stay on the shooters on the perimeter.
That means not as much sagging down to help out if the ball gets into the lane. It has to be tough on-ball defense and denial on the wings. If the Wildcats beat you off the drive or get the ball dumped inside, so be it. You take that over disheartening daggers from beyond the arc.
On offense, this team’s identity has become one where everything starts with going to the rim. Whether it’s dumping it inside and letting E.J. Liddel work, or whether things begin with penetration from the guards and wing players, everything else falls into place from there. Especially on the road, that has to continue.
Good things happen when you dribble drive and get the ball to the paint. Ohio State shoots free throws better than any team in the league, and getting into the paint should result in some easy baskets and opportunities at the free-throw stripe. If the defense is great and the ball penetration is cut off, then it’s time to kick things out for a spot-up jumper.
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