Tag: E.J. Liddell

Five things Kaleb Wesson declaring for the NBA Draft means for Ohio State

Ohio State big man Kalbe Wesson has declared for the NBA draft. Here are five things it means for the Buckeye basketball program.

In case you missed it — you know with all this social distancing and stay at home orders — we’ll remind you. Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft. And while there are all kinds of complexities because of what’s going on in the world today, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll pull back on that decision and come back two years in a row (more on that later).

In today’s world, losing players early is just a part of the juggling act head coaches must deal with, but at least losing Wesson was a very real possibility. Now, Chris Holtmann and staff will have to move on and there are some significant implications that losing the presence of the 6-foot, 9-inch leading scorer of the team.

Here are five things Wesson’s declaration for the NBA Draft mean for Ohio State.

NEXT … He may not REALLY be gone

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

Ohio State Basketball: Projecting the 2020-2021 starting lineup

The season has completed prematurely for the Ohio State basketball team. Time to project the starting five and key reserves for next year.

The Ohio State basketball season came to an abrupt end because of the coronavirus measures put in place, so that leaves us no choice but to look ahead to next year. This season feels a lot like an unfinished story with some ups and downs, a little drama, and a cliff-hanger, but that’s what we’re left with.

Part of the drama came after the season with the departures of freshmen D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney. That was offset a bit with the addition of graduate transfer Seth Towns, and that leaves the Buckeyes with thirteen scholarships — right where it needs to be for the 2020-2021 season.

What better time to look at what the projected lineup could be this winter when it appears everything is much more solidified. There’s still word on what Kaleb Wesson will do as far as the NBA draft, but we’ll make a guess on that too.

So here we go. Here’s the projected lineup for Ohio State basketball for the 2020-2021 season, way ahead of time.

Next … Ohio State likely starting five

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Ryan Day told Ohio State power forward E.J. Liddell he saw him getting better. He then went out and scored a double-double

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day had a message for E.J. Liddell after the Michigan game. He took it to heart and had a career game.

Perhaps nothing brings the sporting brotherhood together quite like an Ohio State vs. Michigan contest. If the Wolverines were playing the Buckeyes in Backgammon, it would still be hotly contested, but the emotions are the highest in football and basketball.

So, it’s no wonder Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day showed up at the Schott to watch the Buckeyes down the Wolverines in hoops Sunday. He had to be proud of the effort OSU put together against a ranked team, but he didn’t stop there. Day reportedly found his way to the locker room after the game to congratulate the team.

And according to Chris Holtmann, Day had a special message to freshman power forward E.J. Liddell.

“I told you Ryan Day came back in the locker room after the game (against Michigan), and I think he had a great way — he actually looked at E.J. and said ‘hey listen, I see you getting better.’ I think Ryan watches a lot of our games, just like I watch all of his games.”

[lawrence-related id=24529]

[lawrence-related id=24522]

[lawrence-related id=24513]

So what did Lidell do the following game out? How about throwing down a double-double of seventeen points and eleven rebounds. It was by far his best game since coming to Ohio State, and surely most of it has to do with him being coached up by Holtmann and the staff, and the growing and development that has to occur in big-time college basketball.

But then again, maybe it was a little bit of the reassurance and push Lidell needs from someone outside of the program. Especially someone that recognizes and cultivates greatness. I mean, it sure looks like whatever Day touches turns to gold, and this is another example.

Now, there’s sure to still be some up and down moments for a freshman figuring it all out in the big, bad Big Ten, but if you look at the beginning of the conference season until now, there’s no denying that Lidell is starting to figure it out. You can bet we’ll see performances like this more consistently moving forward.

 

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

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Ohio State keeps rolling, beats Illinois with dominant second half

The Ohio State basketball team went into halftime trailing Illinois by seven. The second half was a different story with OSU rolling.

It sure didn’t look good after the first half in the Schott, but Ohio State got it all together, buckled down on defense, and outscored the Illini by fifteen points in the second half to put the game away, ultimately winning 71-63.

The shooting was a little better in the second twenty minutes for the Buckeyes, but more than anything, they started to clamp down on an Illini squad that shot over 50 percent in the first half. That percentage fell to 43.6 percent for the game thanks to a better defensive effort from OSU when it came out of the locker room.

This game may have been won on defense, but it got great offensive production from Kaleb Wesson (19 points), and E.J. Liddell who had a career night with a double-double of seventeen points and eleven rebounds.

His maturation has been a key while Kyle Young has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain.

With the victory, Ohio State improves its record to 21-9 overall, and 11-8 in the Big Ten. It is now assured of a winning conference record after being 2-6 at one point. It has now won nine of its last eleven in the best league in the country.

Where have all those knee-jerk fans calling for Chris Holtmann’s job gone as of late?

Maybe most importantly, the Buckeyes move another spot higher in the seeding line of the Big Ten Tournament and might be getting into a spot where they can play their way into a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. A lot would have to still happen for that to occur, but it’s a far cry from close to bubble territory back in early February.

All of that comes later. For now, everyone should enjoy this win against a very good Illinois team and get ready to take on a Michigan State team Sunday that seems to be putting it all together.

 

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

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Poor shooting by Ohio State leads to deficit against Illinois at halftime

Ohio State has struggled shooting the ball in the first half and trails Illinois by seven points at halftime.

The opponent has something to do with it, but the Ohio State basketball team has looked like a shell of what we’ve seen over the last ten games or so. And it has everything to do with shooting the basketball.

The Buckeyes are just 10-of-27 from the floor (37.0%), including just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, and it’s all led to a 37-30 halftime deficit. Truth be known, it could be more if not for points from the free-throw line for the Buckeyes.

Despite the relatively low-score, the pace has been a more fast-paced game than Ohio State would like, and it has had to go deeper into the bench than usual. The fact that Kaleb Wesson was saddled with two fouls early in the first half also didn’t help.

While the Buckeyes have struggled shooting the ball, Illinois has not. The Illini knocked down 14-of-27 shots from the floor (51.9%), including 4-of-11 from 3-point range.

The bright spot for Ohio State has been the play of E.J. Liddell. He leads the team in scoring with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and has battled in the paint by pulling in five rebounds.

If OSU is going to come back in this one, it’ll have to slow things down a bit and not let the pace of Illinois’ play speed up looks at the rim. It’s going to have to be a much better second half than what we’ve seen so far.

Ohio State basketball trails Iowa at halftime after sloppy start

Ohio State came out of the gate slow and fell down big to Iowa early. It headed to the locker room down by eleven.

A troubling pattern is emerging for the Ohio State basketball team. Once again, it went on the road and struggled early with ball security, defense, and toughness. The team has been far different at home than away from it, and it happened again during the first half of the contest at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes came out with hot shooting, and more emotion than the Buckeyes and raced out to a double-digit lead. The margin got as wide as eighteen points. If there’s good news though, Ohio State started to play better and got the deficit down to eight points just before halftime, before giving up a three to go into the locker room down by eleven at 46-35.

E.J. Liddell has kept Ohio State in the game, having his best half of basketball in a Buckeye uniform. He leads the team with eleven points on 5 of 7 shooting, and also has three rebounds. The next highest scorer for Ohio State is Kyle Young with six points. Kaleb Wesson has just four points — making just 2 of his 7 shots.

Offense wasn’t a problem for Iowa. The Hawkeyes shot 62.1 percent from the field, led by Luka Garza’s 17 points. He’s been a beast underneath and nearly unstoppable. The 6-11, 260 lb. big man has made 7 of 9 shots, 2 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Now Ohio State has the daunting task of trying to reel in a very good Iowa team after expending so much energy just getting back in the game. We’ll see if it’s up to the task in the next twenty minutes.

 

Ohio State basketball loses to Wisconsin: 3 Things we learned

The Ohio State basketball team dropped its second game in a row against Wisconsin Friday night. Here’s three things we learned.

Thank goodness college basketball is a marathon with thirty or so games and not judged by a five game stretch. That’s because the Ohio State basketball team has now lost three of its last five after losing a sloppy and bruising game against Wisconsin Friday night .

It now drops to 1-2 in the Big Ten and clearly has some things things that have risen up as cracks in what was a fantastic start to the season. Chris Holtmann won’t be happy in the postgame locker room after this one, and we’re here to try and pick up the pieces from what just happened on the court. There are clearly things that need to be cleaned up moving forward, and the head man should at least have his team’s attention now.

As always, here’s three things we learned.

Next … This team needs a lesson in composure

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Ohio State basketball beats Stetson: 3 Things we learned

Ohio State decimated an overmatched Stetson squad. Here’s three things we learned from the action.

It wasn’t expected to be much of a test, but some of these early non-conference games are invaluable opportunities to get some of the young guys playing time. It also provides a chance to further cement roles and the culture of a team still trying to figure itself out.

Ohio State did that and then some Monday night against Stetson, winning easily and thoroughly by a score of 86-51. There will ultimately be bigger fish to fry for this Buckeye squad, but there’s still plenty to learn and observe anytime the bright lights go on.

As we do after every Ohio State basketball game, we give you three things that stood out.

[lawrence-related id=16590]

Next … D.J. Carton’s athletic ability

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4