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Ohio State Basketball: Upset-minded Buckeyes fall to Houston in Round of 32

By Curtis Wilkerson

PISCATAWAY, NJ - JANUARY 09: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during the second half a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on January 9, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated Ohio State 64-61. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - JANUARY 09: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during the second half a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on January 9, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated Ohio State 64-61. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Ohio State Basketball wasn’t able to pull off another upset in the NCAA Tournament after losing to the three-seeded Houston Cougars.

Chris Holtmann and Ohio State Basketball had their sights set on a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16.  Unfortunately for them, the Houston Cougars had similar plans.  In a game that was tight early on, largely in part to Buckeyes hot perimeter shooting, Houston pulled away down the stretch for a comfortable 74-59 victory and a Sweet 16 match-up with Kentucky.

Houston (33-3) was led by Corey Davis Jr’s 21 points.  Galen Robinson Jr (13), Fabian White (11), and Armoni Brooks (10) all pitched in with double figures as well for the Cougars’ balanced offensive attack.  CJ Jackson scored 18 points to lead the way for Ohio State (20-15) with Kaleb Wesson (15) and Keyshawn Woods (10) also making key contributions.

It was a sloppy start for the Buckeyes.  They turned the ball over on their first three possessions and appeared out of sync early on against a stingy Houston defense. Once they settled in, the threes started pouring in for Ohio State.  A Keyshawn Woods triple opened up the scoring and back-to-back threes from 6’9″ 270 center Kaleb Wesson gave the Buckeyes an 11-9 lead at the 14:47 mark.

Corey Davis Jr. responded right away for Houston going on a personal 8-0 run that gave the Cougars a 17-11 lead and all of the momentum.  Ohio State answered right back with a 13-4 run of their own capped off by a Musa Jallow three-pointer that gave the Buckeyes a 24-21 lead with 9:53 remaining in the half.

In a game that was anticipated to be dominated by defense, both teams continued their hot shooting throughout the remainder of the half.  With Kaleb Wesson on the bench for the most part for the last six minutes of the half, Houston was able to gain some breathing room and went into the break with a 39-31 lead.

The teams mostly traded baskets to start the second half.  It seemed that every time Ohio State would get some momentum and make a mini-run, Houston would answer right away and extend their lead back to a comfortable margin.  A CJ Jackson three-pointer with 11:44 cut the Buckeyes’ deficit to 44-49, and it felt like if they were going to make a push that was the moment.

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Then came the drought.  Ohio State was able to get to the charity stripe to minimize the bleeding to an extent, but they did not score from the field for nearly eight minutes until Kaleb Wesson finally took the lid off with a lay-up at the 3:27 mark.  By this point the damage was already done and Houston coasted to the 74-59 win.

Coming in to the game, Chris Holtmann knew there was a small margin for error if they were going to pull off the upset of the talented Cougars.  Offensively, the Buckeyes were aided early by knocking down 8 first half three-pointers.  They were only able to connect on two in the second half and had a hard time keeping pace with Houston’s talented guards.

29 of Ohio State’s 49 shots came from beyond the arc.  That is not a flattering statistic for a team who has clearly been at their best this season playing an inside-out game through their big man in the middle Kaleb Wesson.  The Buckeyes had a hard time finding lanes through the Cougar defense and despite scoring 15 points, six of Wesson’s seven shots were from three-point range.

Fourteen turnovers cost Ohio State as well.  The Buckeyes needed to keep the game at a snail’s pace, and the turnovers allowed Houston to get out in transition for easy looks.  The other surprising statistic was the 34-12 advantage for Houston on points in the paint.  A number you would expect to be flipped, Ohio State could not establish Wesson on the block and could not contain penetration from the Houston back-court on the other end.

All in all, Ohio State can walk away from the season pleased with where they are at.  They have made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and notched a pair of wins since the arrival of Chris Holtmann.  With senior back-court duo CJ Jackson and Keyshawn Woods graduating, the Buckeyes will need increased contributions from youngsters Luther Muhammad and Musa Jallow next season.  They should also have Kaleb Wesson back for his junior season.  Those three, along with Andre Wesson, give Holtmann a nice foundation to build on.

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They will also receive a boost on the recruiting front.  Ohio State has signed three ESPN Top 100 prospects in DJ Carlton, EJ Liddell, and Alonzo Gaffney who could add some immediate offense and depth.  They will be welcome additions as Ohio State hopes to be a consistent threat near the top of the rugged Big 10 conference.

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