Freshman guard Malaki Branham (22) defends graduate guard Lucas Williamson (1) during the first half of No. 7 Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament game against No. 10 Loyola Chicago Friday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Ohio State won 54-41. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Following the opening 4:02 of the first half between No. 7 Ohio State and No. 10 Loyola Chicago, the Buckeyes gave a taste of what was to come.
Ohio State trailed 5-2, but forced two turnovers. After the under-16 timeout, the Buckeyes clamped down to limit the Ramblers to one bucket over seven minutes, taking the lead with 7:13 left in the first half and never looking back.
Defense had been an issue as the Buckeyes ended the regular season and Big Ten Tournament, allowing opponents to shoot over 45.3 percent in five of their last six games. That wasn’t the case Friday as Ohio State held Loyola Chicago to its worst shooting performance of the season behind a 26.8 percent clip.
“I’m not surprised,” junior forward E.J. Liddell said. “I feel like when we start out, the first four minutes, that determines the game. We set the rules. I feel like we came out here, did a great job on the defensive end.”
The Buckeyes “set the rules” for much of the opening period and continued into the second half. Head coach Chris Holtmann said he expected “a rock fight” against the Ramblers, who entered with the 17th-best scoring defense in the NCAA.
Holtmann said when the Buckeyes have struggled to close games lately, it was because their defense was “not sound enough for long enough.” Ohio State stuck it out for 40 minutes against the Ramblers, though, as Holtmann said the Buckeyes focused on one possession at a time.
“I think narratives get played on social media and all that and it is just not really accurate,” Holtmann said. “We felt like our defense, really, we could hang our hat on our defense right now and we did that.”
The Buckeyes allowed at least 69 points in each of their last eight games leading into the NCAA Tournament. Last season against 15th-seeded Oral Roberts, the Golden Eagles shot 60 percent in overtime en route to their upset win.
After allowing 11th-seeded Penn State to shoot 46.3 percent in its second-round loss in the Big Ten Tournament March 10, Holtmann said Ohio State needed more focus on defensive solutions — and it got them Friday.
“I think it ultimately, the effort piece, comes down to ownership on their part,” Holtmann said. “They were as bought in as they’ve been all year for sure on that end. It was the best defensive performance we’ve really had in a couple years.”
The Buckeyes out-rebounded Loyola Chicago 41-31 and forced 14 turnovers. Ohio State also saw the returns of forwards sophomore Zed Key and graduate Kyle Young, who dealt with ankle and concussion issues, respectively.
The two 6-foot-8 contributors combined for 14 rebounds and 11 points. Young said the Buckeyes try to bring a defensive-minded approach into every game.
“We try to hang our hat on being the more physical team, setting the rules, so when you have a team coming in that’s going to try to do the same things, it’s just that much more of a challenge,” Young said. “We love that type of a challenge and we just have to respond, so it’s just about who’s going to play more physical and tougher and win 50-50 balls.”
The Buckeyes lost four of their last five games entering Friday. Their early exit in the NCAA Tournament a season ago loomed, even though Liddell said before the game he felt no pressure.
With expectations mounted, the Buckeyes rose to them Friday. Their defense answered the call at just the right time as Ohio State advanced to the Round of 32 for the second time in the last three NCAA Tournaments.
“I felt like we played with an edge tonight,” Liddell said. “To play like the underdogs we got to keep playing like that because people have been counting us out big time. We’re going to have that same mindset come next game.”
