After a big win on Saturday against UCLA, the Ohio State men’s basketball team will look to keep the momentum rolling at home against Minnesota on Tuesday night, and this is a game the Buckeyes need to have.
The Buckeyes come into the matchup at 12-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota is 10-8 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers have lost three games in a row, but all by ten points or less, and two of them by one possession. They also took down Iowa on the road.
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“You look at their last five, six games, they’re playing really well,” Diebler said about Minnesota in his press conference on Monday. “A couple ranked wins, down to the wire on the road. So, really good team, a lot of respect for them, certainly. Big opportunity, like I’ve said. It’s a big opportunity for us tomorrow night.”
Belmont and North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson is one of the top scorers in the conference and in the country, averaging 20.8 points per game, shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range.
“His motor off the ball is really good,” Diebler said on Monday when talking about Tyson. “They run some really good actions, create advantages for him. He’s posting the ball some, going to the offensive glass, he’s playing at a really high level.”
Outside of Tyson, Offensively, Minnesota has struggled this season, as they rank No. 17 in the conference in scoring with 72.8 points per game. For reference, Ohio State is No. 6 at 83.3 points per game.
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Junior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. Langston Reynolds averages 10.8 points per game, and Isaac Asuma averages 10.5 points per game.
Minnesota ranks No. 13 in field goal percentage and No. 12 in three-point percentage.
Minnesota is also No. 14 in the conference in rebounding at 34.3 rebounds per game. The Buckeyes have been rebounding the ball at a high level recently, out-rebounding UCLA 37 to 28, Washington 39 to 29, and Oregon 41 to 32. Washington is No. 4 in the conference in rebounding, and Oregon is No 6.
The Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines after this game, so heading into that one with a winning streak would be great for confidence. Also, to end the month of January, Ohio State has a home game against Penn State and a road game against Wisconsin, two winnable games.
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Handling business against Minnesota would show that the team is learning how to win after close losses to Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Nebraska. A loss to Minnesota would put the Buckeyes back at .500 in the conference with a loaded schedule left to play in February.
Coach Diebler also mentioned the home court advantage as a huge factor in the win and wants to see a similar advantage Tuesday night.
“I certainly think the energy in the Schott played a factor in being able to stretch some good possessions into another good (one) or two,” Diebler said. “I think our guys were flying around the court, that was great. It was great to have the Nuthouse back, that plays a role. But we need the same thing for tomorrow night. … I get it, we have the biggest venue, so that presents challenges. But when there’s Buckeye fans in the building, the passion and energy we have, I think, rivals any fan base in the country.”
After getting a big game from the “big three” against UCLA (Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., and Devin Royal), this is a great chance for them to build on that and prove they are one of the best cores in the conference.
