Ohio State Basketball: Kaleb Wesson, leads Buckeyes to upset win over Iowa State
Ohio State Basketball pulled off the upset against Iowa State in the Round of 64 of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State Basketball (20-14) have had their share of ups and downs throughout the season. They were squarely on the bubble on Selection Sunday and snuck their way into the field as an 11 seed, giving themselves new life and a clean slate. Once postseason play begins, records go out the window. It essentially becomes the start of a new season.
Behind a tremendous defensive effort, Chris Holtmann‘s squad took advantage of the fresh start Friday night with an impressive 62-59 upset win over an Iowa State team fresh off a Big 12 tournament championship. Kaleb Wesson led the way for the Buckeyes with a 21 point, 12 rebound double-double performance. Keyshawn Woods scored 19 (3-6 3FG) and Musa Jallow finished with 11 of his own in the victory.
Ohio State jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead, but the game quickly tightened up after a 15-2 Iowa State run to take a 17-13 lead of their own. From there, the Ohio State defense locked down the rest of the half and the Buckeyes took a 26-24 lead into the break.
Both offenses got things going a bit more in the second half. Ohio State held on to a slim lead until a Marial Shayok jumper with 3:40 remaining gave Iowa State a 54-53 lead, their first since mid-way through the first half. Keyshawn Woods was not ready to close the book on his career and scored 7 of the final 9 points for the Buckeyes who sealed the 62-59 win after Nick Weiler-Babb‘s last second three fell short.
Taking down the Cyclones, the highest scoring offense in the Big 12, posed a daunting challenge for Ohio State. Many believed that the Buckeyes would have a hard time keeping up and matching the firepower of dynamic wing Marial Shayok and company, but they were up for the task. The recipe for success for the Buckeyes is not always pretty, but it has featured the same key ingredients all year: Kaleb Wesson, a stout defense, and some timely contributions from the backcourt.
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Wesson, Ohio State’s 6’9″ 270 center, played one of the most complete games of his career. Iowa State had no answer for his size and strength. For the most part, he was able to avoid foul trouble and wreak havoc in the paint. He consistently sealed his defender and got deep post touches for easy buckets at the rim.
When the shots did not fall, he was still a factor either pulling down an offensive board or tipping out to a teammate for a new possession. Wesson showed nice poise when the double-teams came, consistently showing the ability to find and hit the open man or kick out and re-establish position. He is the clear x-factor for Ohio State, and they will go as far as he takes them in this tournament.
To pull off the upset, Ohio State knew they needed a big-time performance from their tough defense. It has been their calling card all year, and they delivered once again in the biggest game of the year. The Buckeyes held Iowa State 19 points below their season average. While Marial Shayok did pump in 23 points for the Cyclones, the rest of their starting lineup was held to a combined 10 points on 4-21 shooting from the field.
Outside of Shayok, the Cyclones had a hard time finding the bottom of the net against Ohio State in the half-court. Iowa State had multiple long scoring droughts, including one run in the first half of 15 straight possessions without a basket. Low-scoring games will always favor a Buckeyes team that has trouble at times themselves on the offensive end. This game in particular was a slow-paced grinder which is exactly what Ohio State wanted it to be.
Even the best defensive teams have to score enough to win games, and Ohio State needed more than just Kaleb Wesson to pull off the upset. Typically, that burden fall on the shoulders of senior guard CJ Jackson. He was held to just two points on 1-8 shooting from the field. The spark came from Keyshawn Woods. The Wake Forest grad-transfer has been heating up down the stretch and his 19 points were crucial for a team searching for a consistent leader in the backcourt.
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Ohio State will now turn their attention to Sunday as they look to keep their Cinderella run alive. They will take on 3-seed Houston, who stream-rolled Georgia State earlier in the day, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.