Ohio State Buckeyes: 24-8, 15-3 in the Big Ten Conference
Head coach: Chris Holtmann (1st season)
Players to watch: Keita Bates-Diop (19.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG); Jae’Sean Tate (12.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 55.6 FG%); C.J. Jackson (12.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.9 APG)
Season recap: First-year head coach Chris Holtmann’s team had low expectations for the 2017-18 season: Ohio State was just 12th in the preseason Big Ten poll. Led by wildly improved junior Keita Bates-Diop, the Buckeyes surpassed all predictions, and were even ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll for a time.
Unfortunately for Ohio State, the team seems to have peaked too early. The Buckeyes notched two victories against then top-five teams in Michigan State and Purdue, but have lost three of their last five games, including two defeats to Penn State.
Ohio State has found great success in the paint offensively, mostly due to Bates-Diop and Tate. In conference play, the team has shot 55.8 percent from inside the arc, which is the best mark in the Big Ten. Additionally, the team has the best rebound differential in the conference, and yields the second-lowest field goal percentage on 2-pointers.
How they make a run: Bates-Diop, the Big Ten Player of the Year, continues to dominate offensively and bullies his opponents to lead his team to success in the tournament.
How they falter: Aside from somehow meeting their kryptonite in Penn State—who handed the Buckeyes three of their eight losses on the season, despite not making the NCAA tournament—the team will struggle if forced to play at a fast pace, as it lacks the perimeter shooting to succeed in a high-scoring contest.
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