Ohio State’s marquee record, resumé proves why they are a legitimate Final Four contender in 2021

by Eric Vah, Sports Editor

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

Here is the outside view of Value City Arena, home of the Ohio State men’s and women’s basketball teams. "Value City Arena - Jerome Schottenstein Center" by liangjinjian is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Going into this season, Ohio State was picked to finish 7th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten, a conference that is crowded at the top of the standings with teams like Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa. Plus, getting through a season in the middle of the pandemic is a challenge in amongst itself, and nobody thought this OSU squad could make it through. But they have gotten through this pandemic-altered season with very few mishaps, besides one canceled game and one postponement that ended up in two rescheduled games.

Not only have they played more games than most teams in the country, they have been one of the best teams overall this season. They have a top 5 offense nationally that helped them ride off seven straight wins, including road wins over Wisconsin and Iowa. They also have the most quadrant 1 wins in the country, with a 9-5 record versus quadrant 1 opponents. The Buckeyes have proven they can hang with the best of the best despite being incredibly undersized up front, with E.J Liddell and Kyle Young.

Ohio State spaces incredibly well on offense. The Buckeyes also have great depth, and each player in the rotation serves its own role and it leads to a well-crafted and balanced team that can make noise in the NCAA Tournament. Obviously, Liddell and guard Duane Washington Jr. have been the best players in terms of scoring for Ohio State, but other players have served their own purpose. Forwards such as Cal transfer Justice Sueing and senior Kyle Young are incredibly versatile and they are a tough matchup because teams don’t know what they’re going to bring game in, game out. They are incredibly versatile and excellent on the defensive end, and Kyle Young is known for being an excellent glue guy on both sides of the ball.

Transfers and early enrollees have helped down the stretch as well for the Buckeyes. Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns gives OSU size and scoring off the bench, while early enrollee Meechie Johnson Jr. has stepped up given Ohio State’s thin point guard position. Not only that, but the players have proven they can step up and fill in for anybody when needed (i.e Justice Sueing expanding his role as a primary ball handler at small forward).

Ohio State closes out the season at home against two top 10 teams in Iowa and Illinois. Both games will be tough for the Buckeyes, especially down low but if they can win one of those games it will solidify their position as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. If they don’t win, the Big Ten Tournament will give Ohio State plenty of opportunities to earn some big wins. The Jaguar Times looks forward to seeing what the Buckeyes can do!