The Ohio State men’s basketball team had its final pre-season tune-up of the fall Sunday afternoon in Columbus, taking on the Butler Bulldogs in front of a smattering of scarlet-clad fans.
It was a special day for the Ohio State basketball family and the Diebler family, with program legend Jon Diebler returning to the Schott, 15 years after he wrapped up an illustrious career donning the scarlet and gray. On top of that, former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta was in the building Sunday afternoon for just the second time since he left, and was honored at halftime for both his accomplishments at Ohio State and reaching 500 career wins last season while at Butler, his alma mater.
Jake Diebler made it clear ahead of Sunday’s game that he would be managing substitutions and in-game situations closer to how he would a regular season game (as opposed to the outdoor exhibition against Cincinnati), and went with a starting five that very well may be the Buckeyes’ starting lineup next week against No. 25 BYU. Justin Pippen and John Mobley Jr. started at the two guard spots, with Anthony Thompson and Amare Bynum at forward and Andrija Jelavic at center.
Both teams were firing in the first half, with Ohio State and Butler combining to go 13-for-28 from three-point land. The Buckeyes in particular were knocking them down at a high clip, hitting eight of their 14 tries from downtown.
Ohio State took a 45-38 lead into halftime, with freshman guard LJ Smith leading the way with 12 first-half points. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, and also blocked a shot. Sophomore forward Amare Bynum chipped in 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including three violent fastbreak dunks where the 245-pounder got going downhill like a running back and the Butler defenders had no choice but to get out of the way.
The Bulldogs made a run early in the second half, but Ohio State pushed the lead back to double-digits, with Mobley and Bynum to thank. The two returnees were the Buckeyes’ most consistent second-half contributors.
The Buckeyes put together a 12-0 run in the middle of the second half that essentially put this one in the grave, with a Jelavic layup and two Pippen free throws making it 72-55 with 6:53 remaining in the game.
Ohio State iced it the game over the final several minutes, mixing in a few back-of-bench contributors and ultimately winning this one, 82-73.
The final score is important, but what was more important today was how Ohio State’s returners improved from last season to now, as well as gauging how much Diebler will be able to count on new guys like Smith, Thompson, and Jelavic. Here are a few things I took away from Sunday’s pre-season bout with the Bulldogs.
LJ Smith was the star of the first half
Not to make it an LJ Smith vs Anthony Thompson thing, but is it possible we were all failing to talk about LJ Smith in the same breath as we were Thompson all summer and fall?
We weren’t able to watch the Ohio State vs Louisville pre-season game (where Thompson allegedly played very well), but in both Sunday’s game and the pre-season game against Butler earlier this month, Smith has far and away looked like the more confident, impactful freshman for the Buckeyes.
Smith scored 12 points in 12 first-half minutes, knocking down four three-pointers and also blocking a shot. Even though he is technically still supposed to be in high school, Smith has not looked timid or unsure of himself. The 6-foot-4 freshman guard has an ultra-quick release and benefitted from having Mobley on the floor with him, as Mobley tends to pull defense his direction when he’s out there.
Is the Amare Bynum sophomore breakout upon us?
Despite not getting any love (zero votes!) in the preseason Big Ten men’s basketball poll, it sure looks like the Bynum breakout could be upon us. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound sophomore was borderline unstoppable on Sunday, eclipsing the 20-point mark with over eight minutes left in the game. Bynum only knocked down one of his three-point tries, but nearly every fastbreak opportunity it looked like Ohio State was trying to get the ball to Bynum and let him sprint down the floor with it.
More often than not, that resulted in the sophomore flying in and tomahawking a one-handed dunk as Butler defenders opted out of the play instead of getting stuck in Bynum’s poster. He also had a few nifty layups that showed improved footwork around the basket.
All in all, he looked like a faster, stronger, and more mature version of last year’s Amare Bynum.
Jelavic did his job
Andrija Jelavic wasn’t a star of Sunday’s game and his final line won’t jump off the page (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in 21 minutes), but I thought that when Ohio State paired him at center with Amare Bynum at power forward, the two did a good job protecting the rim, discouraging guards from driving, and he also showed that he can pass the ball better than the average big guy.
Diebler said last week that he needs each of Ohio State’s post players to rebound, defend, and take what the opposing defense gives them. If Jelavic can contribute at this level all season long, the coaching staff will gladly take it.