First Half Notebook: No. 22 Ohio State vs. Cleveland State

Here are my first half thoughts as the Buckeyes host Cleveland State on Sunday

Halftime Score: Ohio State 31, Cleveland State 24

All in all, this is a first half the Buckeyes would probably prefer to forget. This team looked drastically different than it did during the second half against Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Ohio State started Justin Ahrens in place of E.J. Liddell today. Ahrens is coming off a great shooting performance at Notre Dame on Tuesday. Ahrens best play in the beginning of the game was successfully defending a fast break against Vikings guard Tre Gomillion. Ahrens is OSU's best 3-point threat, but he's yet to score in the first half.

Duane Washington Jr. buried a couple of early 3-pointers. Washington is one of the Buckeyes that could make a big difference in making up for Liddell's absence. But after hitting those two shots, he was just 1-of-7 the rest of the half.

Justice Sueing and Kyle Young picking up two fouls and playing limited minutes really hurt. The Buckeyes aren't deep enough yet to absorb losing meaningful guys like that early to foul trouble.

Cleveland State committed four fouls in the first 2:53 ... considering how well the Buckeyes shoot it from the free throw line, that's not a great formula for them. Ohio State connected on 9-of-10 in the first half.

Game Preview: No. 22 Ohio State vs. Cleveland State

CSU opened the game with three turnovers and four missed shots in four minutes. They seem to be pressing on offense and aren't taking controlled looks at the basket. The Buckeyes defense has come out ready for the challenge of defending a guard-heavy team that also has a 7-foot-2 center and an athletic 6-foot-9 forward. They've denied passing lanes nicely, especially looks into the post.

The Vikings calmed down a bit after the first media timeout and Ohio State played a bit sloppy. But CSU picked up a seventh team foul at the 12:54 mark of the first half, putting Ohio State in the bonus.

As the half progressed, it became more clear that Ohio State's shooting woes were manifesting themselves from distance more than anywhere else. They hit just 2-of-11 from deep, which included missing nine in a row after Washington hit his first two. On top of that, the Buckeyes were far too sloppy on offense - they finished the half with six turnovers, and several of them were self-inflicted mistakes.

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