Ohio State graduate forward Kyle Young (25) looks for a way around Towson junior forward Charles Thompson (32) during the Ohio State-Towson game Wednesday. Ohio State won 85-74. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State has treaded water and prevailed in some down-to-the-wire finishes this season, but come Saturday will face a team that will be just as battle-tested as the Buckeyes.
Both the Badgers (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and Buckeyes will put their respective winning streaks on the line Saturday, as No. 22 Wisconsin has triumphed in its last six games and No. 21 Ohio State (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) in its last three.
Records aside, head coach Chris Holtmann said the Badgers will be the most physical team Ohio State has seen this season.
“I don’t think there’s any question this is the best defense we’ve faced,” Holtmann said. “It is a real, true Big Ten game in every sense of the word.”
Wisconsin clawed back to top Indiana at home Wednesday, overcoming a 42-25 halftime deficit to win 64-59. The Badgers trailed by 22 points 1:17 in the first half against the Hoosiers, ultimately matching a program record for largest comeback.
Sophomore guard Johnny Davis scored the go-ahead 3-pointer during his 23-point performance against Indiana. His average of 20.5 points per game leads Wisconsin and is third in the Big Ten, just ahead of Buckeyes junior forward E.J. Liddell’s total of 19.8.
Davis also leads the Badgers with six rebounds per game and tops the team with 11 steals. His patience is something Holtmann said has allowed the 6-foot-5 guard to take on a bigger role.
“Davis has come into his own, had an outstanding year as we expected he would after watching him last year,” Holtmann said. “We knew he was a really good player that just was playing behind some older guys [last season].”
As a team, Wisconsin is in the bottom-half of the conference in shooting percentages, owning a second-lowest 40.7 percent from the field and fourth-worst 30.5 percent from 3-point range. Senior guard Brad Davison averages 15 points per outing and has a team-best 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Badgers, though, will boast size within their roster. Five players — to Ohio State’s one — stand 6-foot-9 or taller, including 7-footers sophomore forward Steven Crowl and center Chris Vogt, who transferred from Cincinnati.
Crowl is third among Wisconsin players in scoring and rebounding, starting all nine games, while Vogt has exclusively come off the bench to lead the team with 16 offensive boards. Holtmann detailed Crowl’s play style, but admitted the Badgers’ bulk is impressive.
“He’s an inside-out big. Can shoot 3’s, can score in the low-post, has size,” Holtmann said. “They have a lot of big, physical guys, but those two guys are good.”
Ohio State recorded its best shooting performance of the season against Towson Wednesday, making shots at a 57.4 percent clip from the field.
Captain forwards graduate Kyle Young and senior Justin Ahrens led the way with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Young tied a career-high scoring output while Ahrens matched his season-most 3-pointers with five.
The Buckeyes’ 39.2 team shooting percentage from distance is second-best in the Big Ten, as is their 49 percent from the floor. In his last two games, Young has found his stroke from the perimeter, drilling his last six 3-point shots, and Holtmann said the Ohio native is “so critical” to the team.
“He’s also playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Holtmann said. “I think he knows that he can stretch the defense and really shoot the ball at a high clip, but he also has to be consistent with understanding he impacts the game with his energy.”
Liddell reached double figures once again, doing so in all nine games this season. His 30 turnovers, though, are nearly double the next-closest Buckeye.
Holtmann said Liddell’s giveaways are a result of his increased role in Ohio State’s offense. The Buckeyes’ skipper said finding specific areas during film study where the 6-foot-7 forward can take better care of possessing the ball is the most important aspect of cleaning up Liddell’s game.
“He gets a lot of attention, so he’s getting dug down on,” Holtmann said. “He’s just got to have better recognition. It’s the plays where he’s just loose with the ball that we’ve got to clean up.”
Holtmann said he feels positively about the strides Ohio State has made to this point, especially in a college basketball season where the No. 1 team has fallen three times, including top-ranked Purdue’s loss to Rutgers Thursday.
Even with Ohio State’s success since their participation in the Fort Myers Tip-Off in late-November, Holtmann said he thinks Saturday’s game will present the Buckeyes with one of their toughest challenges to date.
“It really is about, ‘Is your team evolving in a way that you feel really good about,’ and, ‘Are we growing and getting better in the areas that we need to?’” Holtmann said. “I think we’ve seen really good progress. Now, we’re going to get as big a test as we’ve had all year.”
Ohio State and Wisconsin battle in a Top 25 matchup at noon Saturday. Big Ten Network will televise.
