Ohio State men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann questions a decision made by the referee during the first half of the game against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Nov. 11. Ohio State won 107-61. Credit: Amal Saeed | Assistant Photo Editor
After Ohio State went into Omaha, Nebraska and took down Creighton 69-60, the Buckeyes stand at 3-0 heading home to face South Carolina State.
The Buckeyes are the first nonconference team to defeat the Bluejays at home since 2015.
Projected Starters
Ohio State (3-0)
G — C.J. Jackson — Senior, 14.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg. 3.3 apg
G — Luther Muhammad — Freshman, 9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg
F — Kyle Young — Sophomore, 7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
F — Andre Wesson — Junior, 5.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
F — Kaleb Wesson — Sophomore, 10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 apg
South Carolina State (1-3)
G — Damani Applewhite — Junior, 19.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.5 apg
G — Rayshawn Neal — Sophomore, 8.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
G — Janai Raynor-Powell — Senior, 12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
F — Ian Kinard — Junior, 5.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.3 apg
F — Ozante Fields — Junior, 7.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.8 apg
The Bulldogs come into the matchup on a three-game losing streak, including a 84-69 loss to Cleveland State on Friday.
South Carolina State ranks No. 347 out of 353 Division I programs, according to advanced statistics website KenPom.com, with the second-worst defensive rating in the country.
Junior guard Damani Applewhite leads the Bulldogs with 19.0 points per game on 61.5 percent shooting, but only has two assists through four games on the season.
Aside from a 48-point win over Division III-program Brevard in its first game, South Carolina State has been outscored by an average of 18 points per game.
The Bulldogs are from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a conference that the Buckeyes are 17-0 all-time playing against.
Ohio State takes on South Carolina State at home on Sunday at 2 p.m.
