Ohio State at Iowa: 5 biggest storylines for top-10 matchup

Third options

How many points Garza is going to score is so much more than a storyline, that it no longer needs to be mentioned. The same goes for the importance of EJ Liddell for the Buckeyes and everybody also knows that guard Duane Washington and forward Joe Weiskemp are going to do what they do for their respective teams. The storyline that should be focused on is which third option is going to rise to the occasion on Thursday night.

The third options in question are Iowa’s 6’1 guard Jordan Bohannon ( 9.6 ppg) and Ohio State’s Justice Sueing (10.9 ppg). As a 6’7 junior who is only connecting on 25 percent from beyond the arc, Sueing may have trouble getting quality shots the times down the court in which Coach McCaffrey sets the Hawkeyes in their 2-3 zone. If Iowa does play man-to-man, his possible match-up with Weiskemp will result in Sueing who already attempts four free-throws per game to spend even more time at the charity stripe.

Jordan Bohannon’s path to contributing is just as precarious for it depends on his ability to connect on his three-point attempts, which become easier if any kind of double-team attention has to be given to Garza. During the Hawkeyes current two-game losing streak, the 6’1 guard who is hitting over 37 percent from beyond the arc has gone 2-13, with a total of six points.

Despite his poor performance from deep, he has only attempted two from inside the arc, missing both. Opposing 6’1 guard Duane Washington has a defensive rating of over 105 and will be a constant nuisance throughout the matchup.