Ohio State Basketball: Buckeyes' Biggest Concerns Ahead of Big Ten Play

The Ohio State basketball team is 11-2, nationally ranked and fresh off a dominating 100-55 victory in its last nonconference game of the season. There’s really nothing to worry about heading into Big Ten play, right?

Wrong.

The Buckeyes have looked impressive against weak competition all season but struggled against the likes of North Carolina and Louisville. There is plenty of reason for concern before conference play begins, and it goes beyond just the fact that Wisconsin looks like a potential Final Four participant.

Here is a look at the biggest reasons for worry before the Big Ten schedule starts.

Struggles Against Elite Competition

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There is no other way to put this: Ohio State has struggled against elite competition.

The Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0 against overmatched opponents, and not a single game was even close. They beat Marquette by 11 points, but every other win came by at least 17.

It was easy to get excited about some of those performances when watching the team run up and down the floor, D’Angelo Russell drain threes, Sam Thompson throw down dunks in transition and Shannon Scott dish out assists left and right.

There have been games where Marc Loving had the hot hand, Kam Williams had the hot hand or even Amir Williams impressed. The Buckeyes have more depth than in past years, as well, and are fourth in field-goal percentage, eighth in points per game and eighth in assists per game.

Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

Still, the two times Ohio State had a chance to make a statement against elite competition, it fell flat on its face.

The Buckeyes fell behind by double digits very early to both Louisville and North Carolina and never completed either comeback. There were times when the youngsters looked uncomfortable, especially against Louisville’s suffocating pressure defense.

Even Russell went a combined 10-of-37 in the Louisville and North Carolina games.

The Big Ten schedule will certainly feature a number of marquee games, including contests against Wisconsin, Maryland and the perennially tough Michigan State. The Buckeyes are going to need to find a way to beat solid competition if they hope to compete for the conference crown.

Wins over High Point and Campbell aren’t going to count in the Big Ten standings.

Disappearance of the Big Men 

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Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Williams needs to perform at a consistent level down low if the Buckeyes hope to win a Big Ten title.

Williams and Trey McDonald have both impressed at times this season, including Williams' 21-point and seven-rebound performance against Wright State the last time out, but neither has shown up against actual competition.

Against North Carolina, Williams and McDonald combined for a whopping four points on 1-of-5 shooting, five rebounds and six fouls while the Tar Heels' Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson had their way down low. Williams was a bit better against Louisville with six points and five rebounds, but McDonald was invisible with zero points, zero rebounds and zero blocks in eight minutes of action.

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What’s more, both North Carolina and Louisville tallied 18 offensive rebounds against the Buckeyes, which set the stage for the two losses.

This season, Ohio State is 66th in the country in total rebounding, which is not exactly encouraging considering the weak schedule it has played.

Head coach Thad Matta was hoping Williams' last game was a source of encouragement for the big guy, via Jeff Rapp of WTVN:

Considering the Big Ten is loaded with solid teams and daunting road venues, the big guys are going to need to play better than they did against North Carolina and Louisville.

Zone Defense

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I have harped on this in the past, but it is worth mentioning again.

Ohio State’s zone defense was exposed against the Tar Heels and Cardinals, and there is little reason to expect anything different against Wisconsin down the stretch.

Any team with formidable ball-handlers who can move past the initial three-quarter-court pressure can set up two-on-one situations along the baseline against the matchup zone. That means the corner three should be open anytime the opponent wants it, which is one of the shots that can destroy any zone.

That wasn’t the only concern against North Carolina either.

The Tar Heels were repeatedly able to sneak a big guy behind Williams or McDonald in the zone along the baseline for easy looks right at the rim. Williams and McDonald simply weren’t athletic enough to cover the amount of space they have to in order to make the zone effective.

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Perhaps the biggest concern with the zone defense comes on the boards.

As mentioned, both North Carolina and Louisville controlled the rebounding game against the Buckeyes, which was a major reason why the team fell short on the national stage.

In the zone, boxing out becomes an issue because the defender is not directly next to a man. In the time the shot goes up, the Ohio State defenders have to locate a man to box out, actually box him out and grab the loose ball.

It is no wonder the Buckeyes are struggling to control the boards.

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