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Meet the Opponent: Ohio State on Four-Game Losing Streak Entering Indiana Matchup

Ohio State has lost seven of its last eight games, beginning with a loss at Indiana on Jan. 6. The Buckeyes get another shot at the Hoosiers in Columbus, but they've really struggled lately. Here's a full breakdown of Indiana's Tuesday opponent, Ohio State.

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Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers

When Indiana defeated Ohio State back on Jan. 6 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, it represented the Hoosiers' best win of the season and one that could age well. The Buckeyes were 12-2 before that game and ranked 29th in the nation by KenPom.

But after that loss at Indiana, Ohio State's season became a disaster. The Buckeyes have lost seven of their last eight games, including each of the last four, and fallen to 13th place in the Big Ten standings. They get a shot at revenge on Tuesday against Indiana at 7 p.m. ET inside Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Here's a full breakdown of Ohio State.

Key returners

(2023-24 stats)

  • G Bruce Thornton: 15.6 ppg, 4.4 apg, 32.5 3-pt FG%
  • G Roddy Gayle Jr.: 14.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 27.5 3-pt FG%
  • F Zed Key: 7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 53.3 FG%
  • C Felix Okpara: 6.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 60.8 FG%

Key departures

(2022-23 stats)

  • G Brice Sensabaugh: 16.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 40.5 3-pt FG%
  • F Justice Sueing: 12.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg
  • G Sean McNeil: 9.7 pgg, 36.9 3-pt FG%
  • G Isaac Likekele: 3.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.8 apg

Key newcomers

(2023-24 stats)

  • F Jamison Battle (Minnesota): 14.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 45.0 3-pt FG%
  • G Dale Bonner (Baylor): 4.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 28.1 3-pt FG%
  • G Scotty Middleton (No. 50 freshman): 4.3 ppg, 37.5 3-pt FG%
  • F Evan Mahaffey (Penn State): 5.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 47.4 FG%

Schedule (13-9, 3-8 in Big Ten)

  • W, 79-73 vs. Oakland
  • L, 73-66 vs. Texas A&M
  • W, 76-52 vs. Merrimack
  • W, 73-56 vs. Western Michigan
  • W, 92-81 vs. Alabama (neutral site in Florida)
  • W, 86-56 vs. Santa Clara (neutral site in Florida)
  • W, 88-61 vs. Central Michigan
  • W, 84-74 vs. Minnesota
  • W, 84-64 vs. Miami (Ohio)
  • L, 83-80 at Penn State
  • W, 67-60 vs. UCLA (neutral site in Georgia)
  • W, 78-36 vs. New Orleans
  • W, 78-75 (OT) vs. West Virginia (neutral site in Ohio)
  • W, 76-72 vs. Rutgers
  • L, 71-65 at Indiana
  • L, 71-60 vs. Wisconsin
  • L, 73-65 at Michigan
  • W, 79-67 vs. Penn State
  • L, 83-69 at Nebraska
  • L, 83-58 at Northwestern
  • L, 87-75 vs. Illinois
  • L, 79-77 at Iowa

Mike Woodson's history against Ohio State

  • W, 71-65 in Bloomington on Jan. 6, 2024
  • W, 86-70 in Bloomington on Jan. 28, 2023
  • L, 80-69 (OT) in Columbus on Feb. 21, 2022
  • W, 67-51 in Bloomington on Jan. 6, 2022
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann talks to guards Bruce Thornton (2) and Roddy Gayle Jr. (1).

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann talks to guards Bruce Thornton (2) and Roddy Gayle Jr. (1).

Strengths

Jamison Battle has been one of the most productive transfers in the Big Ten this season. Coming to Ohio State from Minnesota, he's averaging 14.2 points per game, which ranks sixth among Big Ten transfers. The 6-foot-7 small forward leads the Big Ten with 62 made 3-pointers, and his 45.0 3-point percentage ranks first in the conference and fifth in the nation. Battle scored 17 points on 5-for-10 3-point shooting in Ohio State's first matchup against Indiana, along with nine rebounds. 

While he's not a major offensive threat, center Felix Okpara gave Indiana fits on the glass last time around. The 6-foot-11 sophomore grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. He tied his season high with five blocked shots against the Hoosiers, and he ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation with 2.5 blocks per game. Indiana relies heavily on its bigs, Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware, and they'll face a formidable opponent in Okpara. Ware scored just eight points in the first matchup, which is tied for his second-lowest scoring game of the season. Reneau scored 23.

We'll get into Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr.'s recent struggles below, but they're still talented players capable of leading Ohio State to a win in this game.

Weaknesses

Entering Ohio State's first matchup against Indiana on Jan. 6, the Buckeyes had a 12-2 record. They've since fallen off a cliff, losing seven of their last eight games. Early in the season, Ohio State had strong guard play with sophomores Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr., but they've hit a rough patch. Over the last eight games, beginning with Indiana, Thornton has had three of his four lowest-scoring games of the season, and he's shooting 34-for-98, or 34.7%, from the field. Gayle's total scoring production hasn't fallen much, but he's made just 2-of-26 3-point attempts since facing Indiana, where he shot 3-for-17 from the field. He's also third in the Big Ten in turnovers. Battle has had four of his seven lowest-scoring games of the season since Jan. 15.

Defensively, Ohio State has dropped all the way to 120th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric. Opponents shoot 35.8% from 3-point range against Ohio State, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten. During the Buckeye's current four-game losing streak, opponents have scored at least 79 points in each game. And over the last six games, opponents shot 57-for-119, or 47.9%, from 3-point range. 

Season outlook

The Buckeyes were picked to finish seventh in the preseason Big Ten media poll, and they'll have to go on a serious run over the next nine games to reach that point. Losing seven of their last eight games, Ohio State has dropped to 13th place in the Big Ten standings with a 3-8 record. It's starting to feel a lot like last season, when Ohio State went 1-14 in the heart of Big Ten play. Coincidentally, last year's losing streak started on Jan. 5, and this year's began Jan. 6 at Indiana, which the Buckeyes host Tuesday. Holtmann took Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament in four of his first five seasons, but the Buckeyes are 29-28 since the beginning of last season and will likely miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season.

  • INDIANA'S WORST LOSS UNDER WOODSON: Indiana suffered its worst loss in three seasons under Mike Woodson when Penn State defeated the Hoosiers 85-71 without leading scorer Kanye Clary Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, virtually eliminating Indiana from NCAA Tournament contention. CLICK HERE
  • IU-PENN STATE GAME STORY: Indiana had no answers defensively for Penn State on Saturday and got embarrassed at home in an 85-71 loss. Penn State, which ranks No. 309 in three-point shooting, made 12 longballs in the rout, erasing an early 11-point deficit and handing Indiana a devastating loss. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana lost 85-71 Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Penn State, which entered the game with a 10-11 record and didn't have its leading scorer, Kanye Clary, on Saturday. Here's the full transcript and video of what Indiana coach Mike Woodson said postgame. CLICK HERE
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