Ohio State sophomore guard Madison Greene (0) moves the ball down the court during the Ohio State-Miami game on Dec. 10. Ohio State won 104-65. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes are on the road again, this time against their third consecutive AP Top 25-ranked opponent.
After a statement 88-86 win at home against No. 7 Maryland (11-2) Monday, No. 14 Ohio State (8-1) heads to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on the Hoosiers.
In the third matchup of a brutal four game gauntlet, No. 16 Indiana (9-3) brings the Big Ten’s top scoring defense to the court, only surrendering an average of 56.1 points per game.
Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff described Indiana as a physical, veteran challenge.
“They’re really good. They’ve got a lot of older players so they have a lot of maturity,” McGuff said. “They’re very good defensively, really physical team, good rebounding team that’s also really good in transition on offense.”
The Buckeyes look to be the Hoosiers’ second in-conference loss after they fell short in their bout with the Terrapins earlier this month.
McGuff said that patience is the key to success against the Hoosiers’ defense.
“We can’t get impatient. They kind of force people into quick shots and their defense is really good initially,” McGuff said. “You’ve really got to execute and move the ball to break them down to get a good shot. We just can’t settle for tough shots early in the shot clock.”
Indiana ranks as the fourth best in the conference on the defensive glass, averaging 29.3 defensive rebounds per game.
With the status of the Buckeyes’ second-best rebounder, junior forward Aaliyah Patty, still in question, it could be an uphill battle for Ohio State on the boards.
Ohio State is hoping to continue the flurry of offense that it has enjoyed from sophomore guards Madison Greene and Jacy Sheldon.
Freshman forward Gabby Hutcherson said that the level of play by her teammates raises everyone’s game.
“I think when we’re in practice we see sparks of that but then to see it live and playing, it gives us the confidence to think, ‘All right, we can come out and do this as a team too,’” Greene said. “It gives us a boost as a whole.”
Assembly Hall is a site that the Buckeyes have historically walked away victorious; they’ve won their last seven appearances there and lead the overall series against the Hoosiers 58-21.
Hutcherson says that despite the lack of fans, her teammates’ support on the sideline can give the team energy.
“I do think that it’s the most important part, because the fans, obviously we love our fans and they bring a lot to us and give us confidence too as well,” Hutcherson said. “So not having that, and especially now that we have our parents there, but beforehand we didn’t have that at all. We had each other and that’s it. If nobody else is going to do it I feel like I’ve got to do it good.”
Ohio State takes on Indiana at a mostly empty Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, at 8 p.m. Thursday.
