Ohio State shows little sign of rust, leads Maryland at halftime

A highly efficient first half for Ohio State to lead headed to the locker room. #GoBucks

Despite another game getting shelved this weekend in a season that’s seen a lot of starting and stopping, the Ohio State basketball team came out executing on both sides of the ball against Maryland in the first half. OSU has been hot from the floor, knocking down 16-of-26 shots (61.6%) including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, and lead the Terps 42-29 at the half.

As usual, E.J. Liddell led the Buckeyes with 11 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots from the field and pulling down five rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Zed Key started out strong, scoring six of Ohio State’s first nine points and finished the half with seven points.

However, this one has been about execution. The Buckeyes have only turned the ball over one time and have moved the ball to open spots on the floor after running offensive sets for open looks. The team has ten assists alone in the first half contributing to an efficient look on the offensive end. If there’s one spot the Buckeyes have to get better at, it’s on the glass. Maryland has pulled down seven offensive rebounds to keep the lead from ballooning even more.

Now, off to the second half. Almost any team in the Big Ten can beat any other team in this league, so Ohio State will need to continue to execute at a high level in the last 20 minutes.

[listicle id=67137]

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

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.