Ohio State University held a banner day for St. Francis on multiple indicators.
The Buckeyes’ 96 points were the most since Ohio State beat Penn State by 106 on Dec. 7, 2019. The Buckeyes’ 20 assists were the all-time record. With six players scoring at least his 10 points, Ohio State has double-digits more scorers than him in any game this season.
As impressive as the last stat is, it might be even more remarkable that four of the Buckeyes who finished in double digits were true freshmen.Chris Holtman in preseason, Bruce Thornton, Bryce Sensarbaugh, Roddy Gale Jr., Felix Okpala play an important role In all my years playing for the Buckeyes, I have never received so much contribution from all four in one game.
How rare a feat was that? The last time four true freshmen scored in double figures for the Buckeyes was eight years before him, with D’Angelo Russell, Keita Bates-Diop, Cam Williams and Jeshaun Tate all That’s when he scored at least his 10 points in a victory on December 22, 2014. vs Miami (Ohio).
But no one would be too surprised by the way the Buckeyes talk about their freshman class throughout the season.
“Coach Holtmann does a great job of keeping us all interested. In fact, we all work hard and compete. and a lot of freshmen who can play,” Tanner Holden said after the game. I think that’s one of the things that everyone who comes here is saying, so I think you can play with anyone.Overall, we’re very solid in every aspect of the game. I think it’s a good team.”
Sensabaugh dropped 15 points against Red Flash, which was expected. The 6-foot-6 wing is already tied for the team lead in points going into the game, having scored at least 15 points the last four times at Ohio State.
After a four-point night against Duke on Wednesday, Sensarbaugh was relatively quiet early on, but found his rhythm in the second half and scored nine points on four shots. Two of them were his 3-pointers and one long-range connection gave him four points on his play after a foul. Sensebaugh’s all-second-half points helped Ohio State win his 24–2 victory, and Buckeye’s 12-point lead when he extended his lead to 34 by the 5:17 mark. that has been obtained.
If there were any four unexpected performances, it was Okpala’s double-double as the first-year center set career highs in both points (10) and rebounds (12). Until Saturday, the 6-foot-11 big man hadn’t scored more than four points or knocked over more than four boards in an Ohio State game.
“I think Felix’s rebounding, defense and post-defensive mindset have to improve and grow. But he’s a really dedicated learner. He’s a great listener,” Holtman said. “He wants to get better. ”
In fact, Okpala had a double-double in the second half alone, scoring 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting, including a late 3-pointer, and corralling 10 boards in the final 20 minutes. Early in his college career, Okpala’s main goal isn’t to score points, but he proved on Saturday that he can definitely do so if given the chance.
“Defense, that’s why I check in. Get more rebounds on defense, crash the grass on the attack side. And for me, scoring now is a bonus,” Okpala said. “I like to do small things like setting screens, diving on the floor, mostly defense.”
Thornton was Ohio State’s second-leading scorer behind Sensabo, scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting against St. Francis. Slonton’s rise started at his Maui Invitational, but has arguably continued in his two games since. The Buckeyes starting points his guard, he has scored at least 11 in four of his last five games, and Thornton has scored nine in his one game.
Thornton’s efficiency on offense is equally impressive. Over the past five games, Thornton has shot 56% from the field and 58% from his range on 3-pointers.
“(Thornton) is really, really important. Being stable is a great way to put it. He’s really stable,” Holtman said. “I mean, really mature and stable and making good decisions. He’s shooting it like we’ve seen him shoot it all summer. I’d probably make more open threes than miss. We’ve seen it all summer with him based on his shooting numbers. And he’s a really good decision maker.”
Gale added 12 points for the Buckeyes on 5-for-6 shooting, making 4 of 5 attempts during a 10-point second-half effort. It was also a career-best game for Gale, as he had not scored more than nine points in his first seven college games. In the last four games through Saturday, Gayle has scored only five points in total as he went scoreless in two games.
However, Holtman said Gale’s defense might be more valuable to the Buckeyes at this stage, and he’s confident we’ll see improvements in the freshman’s offensive repertoire throughout the season.
“He’s a two-way player. His defense is better than the offense so far and that’s fine. We need his defense to be present,” Holtman said. “And he’s not a bad offensive player. He’s still just reading the game. Things are fast. I saw Duke transition and flip. But he’s a really good boy, isn’t he? And I think he’ll only get better in front of us and I think if Roddy has the right mindset we’ll see him grow in February. .”
All four freshmen played at least 16 minutes in big wins, but Holtmann clarified that won’t always be the case as Ohio State faces tougher opponents in the future . But the group’s potential wasn’t as clear as it was in Saturday’s contest.
“You just watch them play. Sometimes they play these games, sometimes they don’t,” Holtmann said. “So when they have these minutes in front of them, they obviously need to keep growing and getting better.”
