Ohio State junior forward E.J. Liddell (32) and freshman guard Malaki Branham (22) high-five during the Ohio State-Akron Game Nov. 9, 2021. Ohio State won 67-66. Photo Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes basketball season has been a series of starts and stops since mid-December, and they hope their rhythm returns for their next scheduled game Sunday.
No. 16 Ohio State (13-5, 6-3 Big Ten) will play its first Big Ten game at home in over three weeks against Maryland, which enters on a two-game losing streak. Assistant coach Jake Diebler said it’s been difficult for the Buckeyes to garner momentum during their recent stretch, having played two games in 19 days, and even further back to their first pause two months ago.
“It felt like we were really starting to play well when we had our first extended break there before Christmas,” Diebler said. “Clearly, it took us some time when we came back from that to get back to where we were before that break.”
Playing down to the buzzer at then-No. 6 Purdue last time out, Ohio State will go against the Terrapins (11-11, 3-8 Big Ten) who did similarly Tuesday against No. 13 Michigan State. Maryland overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and tied the Spartans at 63 points with 2:51 remaining in the second half before going scoreless the rest of the way.
The Terrapins hold opponents to 41.5 percent shooting, which is sixth-best in the Big Ten, but rank in the bottom half of the conference in scoring, averaging 69.8 points per game. Diebler said the Buckeyes must be more consistent defensively in order to limit Maryland, as Ohio State allowed the Boilermakers to shoot 48.3 percent from the field.
“I think it starts on the defensive end for us,” Diebler said. “It’s an attention to detail thing at times, but it also is sustaining the necessary physicality and effort. It requires a lot in this league.”
Maryland is led by a trio of double-digit scorers, headlined by senior guard Eric Ayala. The 6-foot-5 Ayala averages 15.7 points per game on 39.2 percent shooting, including a team-best 35 percent clip from 3-point range.
Graduate guard Fatts Russell transferred to the Terrapins’ program from Rhode Island last offseason and has made an impact, leading the team with 80 assists. He also averages 12.9 points per game and is second among Maryland players with 22 steals.
Ohio State has seen an important role from a player during their first season with the program in freshman guard Malaki Branham. The former Ohio Mr. Basketball honoree combined with junior forward E.J. Liddell to score the final 17 points of the game to erase a 20-point deficit at Purdue.
Branham had his most efficient outing against the Boilermakers, shooting 70 percent from the field to rack up his third 20-point game of the season. Diebler said the adjustment from prep basketball to the college ranks can challenge many incoming players, but Branham has prepared at length to kindle his success.
“He’s been really good. Certainly one of the best freshmen in the league,” Diebler said. “Malaki has bought into working extra every day. While he’s working extra, working at a higher pace, higher intensity, more game-quality reps, I think we’re seeing the benefit of that.”
The Buckeyes also saw the return of graduate guard Jamari Wheeler at Purdue after the Penn State transfer missed the first game of his career due to a foot issue. Wheeler said he hadn’t missed a game since his middle school days.
After slotting back into the starting lineup, Wheeler played 24 minutes and shot 1-of-3 from the field with two steals. He said missing the game at Minnesota Jan. 27 was hard, but he was delighted to get back on the hardwood despite his foot still nagging him.
“It wasn’t all the way 100 (percent), but it felt good just to get out there, run, do things that I couldn’t do a week or two weeks before,” Wheeler said. “It felt good just to be able to get back there on the court.”
It will have been a full week since the Buckeyes played a game when the first whistle is blown against the Terrapins. They’ve had stretches of 22 and nine days between games due to cancellations or postponements, with the recent one coming Thursday as the originally scheduled game against Iowa was nixed.
Diebler said the Buckeyes have had to remain diligent in maintaining their form throughout all of the pauses, but he’s optimistic they’re going about it the right way.
“Our veterans, they’re not used to this either. There’s a frustration to it that they have to safeguard from,” Diebler said. “We’ve relied on their maturity to help us handle these breaks appropriately.”
Maryland and Ohio State will tip-off at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Schottenstein Center. CBS will broadcast.
