Ohio State Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser
 

Ohio State Buckeyes

Big Ten (21-10, 11-9)

 
Ohio State got off to a great start to the 2019-2020 campaign. They were 9-0 with wins against Cincinnati, Villanova, North Carolina and Penn State. A four game losing streak and a 2-6 start in Big Ten play quickly sent the Buckeyes back to reality though. Coach Chris Holtmann managed to turn things around after that and the Buckeyes are playing very good basketball heading into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Big Wins: 11/13 Villanova (76-51), 12/21 vs Kentucky (71-65), 2/23 Maryland (79-72)
Bad Losses: 12/15 at Minnesota (71-84), 1/11 at Indiana (54-66), 1/23 Minnesota (59-62)
Coach: Chris Holtmann
 
Why They Can Surprise:
The Buckeyes can beat anybody on any given day thanks to their stifling defense and three-point shooting ability. The Buckeyes allow just 62.9 points per game and allow the opposition to shoot a mere 39.7 percent from the floor. On the other side of the floor, Ohio State is loaded with consistent outside shooters. Kaleb and Andre Wesson are a couple of prolific and consistent three-point shooters who can stretch the defense. Kaleb leads the team with 14.0 points and 9.3 rebounds and shoots an impressive 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. Duane Washington will knock down plenty of long balls and backcourt mates CJ Walker and Luther Muhammad are at least threats to knock down some shots.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
The backcourt does lack a major scoring threat though. This team has to rely on the Wessons for their consistent scoring. At times somebody will need to create their own shot, especially on those rare occasions when the Buckeyes are not hitting their outside shots consistently. Turnovers have also been an issue for this group. They commit nearly 13 per game and do not force many of their own. If Ohio State is losing out on too many possessions and not shooting at their usual level, they will be going home earlier than hoped.
 
Probable Starters:
Luther Muhammad, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 ppg, 1.3 apg
CJ Walker, Junior, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 3.5 apg
Andre Wesson, Senior, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Kaleb Wesson, Junior, Forward, 14.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Kyle Young, Junior, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg
 
Key Role Players:
E.J. Liddell, Freshman, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Duane Washington, Sophomore, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 1.4 apg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.1 (140th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.9 (23, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (130, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.7 (25, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.4 (58, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.3 (20, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.2 (43, 2)
Rebound Margin: 5.4 (36, 5)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (161, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (133, 13)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iowa State
2019 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Houston
2018 NCAA Round of 64 win over South Dakota State
2018 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Gonzaga
2016 NIT First Round win over Akron
2016 NIT Second Round loss to Florida
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over VCU
2015 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona
2014 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Dayton
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iona
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Iowa State
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Arizona
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Wichita State
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Loyola Maryland
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Cincinnati
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Syracuse
2012 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas-San Antonio
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over George Mason
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Siena
2008 NIT First Round win over UNC-Asheville
2008 NIT Second Round win over California
2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Dayton
2008 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
2008 NIT Final win over Massachusetts
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Central Connecticut State
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Tennessee
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Memphis
2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over Georgetown
2007 NCAA National Final loss to Florida
 
*all team stats through 3/8