Ohio State vs. Rutgers 2019 basketball preview and prediction

Ohio State comes back home to host a Rutgers team that’s having a whale of a season. Here’s a preview, prediction, and odds for the game.

Ohio State cliff notes game plan

Many teams might be tempted to take away the effectiveness of leading scorer Ron Harper, Jr., or second-leading scorer Akwasi Yeboah, but this Rutgers team goes as its point guard Geo Baker does. The 6-4, 185 lb. guard often has the ball in his hands, and is the biggest threat to get his own shot when needed. He has been extremely streaky, and less-effective on the road, but he has to be the one the game plan revolves around defensively because it all starts with his penetration and playmaking ability.

C.J. Walker will most likely draw the matchup on him defensively, but it would be wise to run other bodies on him to keep things fresh. He’ll eat Duane Washington up, so look for Holtmann to use Luther Muhammad as a defensive stopper as well.

Offensively, Ohio State is who it is at this point. It needs a big game from Wesson, and the supporting cast around him has to spot up and look for kicks on double teams to hit open looks. You don’t want to run up and down the floor on Rutgers because of the health and thin lineup Ohio State is dealing with, but the offense has to share the basketball and execute its half-court sets.

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