Ohio State cliff notes game plan
This is going to be a game of conflicting tempos. Illinois wants to play fast and speed things up, while Ohio State will need to try and get into half-court sets on offense, and keep the Illini from running out with easy baskets on the other end.
And remember, the Buckeyes don’t exactly have a lot of depth to work with right now with D.J. Carton still on the mend, Kyle Young nursing an ankle injury, and Alonzo Gaffney dealing with something that has yet to be shared healthwise.
That means OSU might want to get into more zone on defense so that the man-to-man guarding and breaking down off the dribble Illinois likes to do won’t wear the team out. Rebounding is tough out of a zone, so each guy has to find a man and limit second-chance points.
On offense, the template is set. Play through Kaleb Wesson when you can, but look for the outside shot. Ohio State continues to lead the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, and it’ll have to have its perimeter players spot up and knock down the long ball when Illinois is in scramble mode on defense.
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