Ohio State freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. (0) dibbles the ball towards the net during the Ohio State-Indianapolis exhibition game Monday. Ohio State won 82-46. Photo Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes took to the Schottenstein Center floor Monday for the first time since March 6, blowing out Indianapolis, a Division II school, in an exhibition matchup.
With its preseason behind it, No. 17 Ohio State now looks ahead to the regular season and its season-opening battle with in-state opponent Akron. Although there were some solid takeaways from Monday’s exhibition, freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. said the Buckeyes are focused on the future.
“We learned a lot. We did some great things out there, but we also did some things that we could get better at,” Johnson said. “Now that one’s out the window, we’re looking forward to Tuesday.”
Ohio State’s 82-46 triumph over Indianapolis marked the end of a preseason that dates back to early summer.
With a new look in the backcourt and dynamic youngsters, the Buckeyes are, yet again, anticipated to make some noise in the Big Ten and beyond. Although expectations heading into the regular season are high, sophomore forward Eugene Brown III pointed to a growing confidence among the team.
“The work that we’ve been putting in, how much time and effort we all know that we go through. Blood, sweat and tears that we all put together, it’s starting to build a confidence for us,” Brown said.
The departure of guards Duane Washington Jr. and C.J. Walker and injuries to the frontcourt have opened up multiple roles on the team.
As the competition to fill those roles has increased, Johnson said although they’re still one team, the battles for minutes have made each individual better across the board.
“There’s minutes open, but at the same time, we’re a team. We all know that we all have a role to play,” Johnson said. “It’s just a battle. You go to practice every day and you do just whatever you can to prepare and help the team win.”
The Buckeyes also spent the offseason getting their transfers acclimated to a new program.
As head coach Chris Holtmann is a strong proponent of playing sound defense, Penn State transfer and graduate guard Jamari Wheeler has fit right in. Wheeler, a defensive stalwart as a Nittany Lion, earned Big Ten All-Defensive honors for two-straight seasons before joining the Buckeyes.
As defense is at the center of Holtmann’s coaching philosophy and Wheeler’s game, Brown said the team has put a heightened focus on that end of the floor.
“We’ve embraced it. Anything we do, most of the drills we do, we’re trying to get stops. We don’t worry about scoring,” Brown said. “We try to emphasize the defensive end of the court. We try to bring energy to that side of the ball.”
As the Buckeyes progress past the preseason, they’ve already dealt with some key injuries that could impact them into the early stages of the regular season.
Ohio State will likely kick off the season without major contributors at the four as graduate Seth Towns will miss the first few months recovering from offseason back surgery. Graduate forward Kyle Young is also expected to miss time to open the season as he was recently diagnosed with vestibular dysfunction.
Redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing was out Monday while he deals with a nagging lower leg injury.
Going forward, Holtmann said the health of the team will be imperative for its success this season.
“I hope it’s not a situation that we have to deal with this as the year goes on,” Holtmann said. “We need to get healthy. That’s going to be critical for us.”
With less than a week until opening tipoff, Holtmann pointed to a few key areas where the Buckeyes need to improve.
“I think we’ve made some progress. But my biggest challenge is we have to play harder, more consistently,” Holtmann said. “We’ve had some good moments. We’ve had some growth.”
