UCLA Basketball: 3 keys to knock off No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes

UCLA Basketball: 3 keys for Bruins to knock off No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 09: Chris Smith #5 of the UCLA Bruins goes up for a basket over Frankie Hughes #3 of the San Diego Toreros in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on December 9, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

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E.J. Liddell Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2. With their best player out, Ohio State is in a dire situation – and UCLA needs to take advantage of it

I mentioned this in the intro, but I will reiterate this again: Ohio State’s key to success is E.J. Liddell, who has been sensational for the Buckeyes after playing in all 31 games last season off the bench. A 6-7 forward, Liddell averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds last season while tallying 29 blocks on the year.

Liddell’s development and flourishment have been instrumental for an Ohio State team that lost Kaleb Wesson (14.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg) to the NBA Draft and D.J. Carton (10.4 ppg and 3.0 apg) to transfer. He has been great this year in leading the Buckeyes, shooting 59.5% from inside the arc and 81.8% from the charity stripe in leading the team in scoring.

But his absence has plagued Ohio State in their games against Cleveland State and Purdue, and UCLA has the talented big men needed to take advantage of Ohio State’s lack of size inside.

Three of UCLA’s top seven scorers – Chris Smith, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill – are all 6-9 or taller. With the exception of Ibrahima Diallo – who has played just less than 10 minutes all season – the Buckeyes do not feature a single player taller than 6-8.

Again, this is a Bruin team that thrives on scoring from inside the arc. Of their seven players who average 8.8 points or more, six are shooting 50% or better on two-pointers. Three – Juzang, Jaquez, and Jules Bernard – are shooting over 62%.

Ohio State’s saving grace is that they are among the nation’s best in 2P% defense, holding teams to 41.9% – the 29th-best mark. However, the Buckeyes have failed to hold teams to that average in their last three outings. In Liddell’s last game, the Buckeyes allowed Notre Dame to shoot 54.3% from inside. In their two games without them, Cleveland State shot 43.9% and Purdue was a blistering 57.6%.

If anything, UCLA should feast inside. Since finally being at full strength with Juzang’s return prior to the San Diego game, they shot 46.2% inside against San Diego and 51.5% against Marquette. With Liddell out, UCLA’s life inside – as well as outside – should be even easier.

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