Ohio State rides strong defense to first-round win over Loyola Chicago

It might not have been pretty, but No. 7 seed Ohio State rode a strong defense to a 54-41 victory over No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Buckeyes held the Ramblers to just 27% from the field, even despite some shooting woes of their own.

Even after the game, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann humorously acknowledged the struggles on offense by both teams. After all, his Buckeyes went just 1-for-15 from downtown and 18-for-43 overall from the field.

“Listen, it wasn’t the best offensive display, okay?” Holtmann told CBS’ Dana Jacobson. “It wasn’t pretty to watch. Sorry for everybody out there watching. But it was a really hard-fought game. Give Loyola’s defense credit. They’ve got one of the best defenses in the country.”

Loyola Chicago, which was favored heading into the game, had one of its worst games of the year. The Ramblers shot just 26.8% from the field and 28.6% from three-point territory. They also went 3-for-10 at the free throw line and only had one player — Braden Norris — in double figures with 14 points.

On the other side, the two-headed monster of EJ Liddell and Malaki Branham combined for 30 of Ohio State’s 54 points. But the Buckeyes were finally healthy today, with Kyle Young and Zed Key making key contributions in their returns to the rotation. Young had nine points and seven rebounds while Key added two points and seven boards of his own.

Liddell, who also had 10 rebounds for a double-double, acknowledged the impact they had in his postgame interview.

Forward E.J. Liddell and @OhioStateHoops Head Coach Chris Holtmann break down the win #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/1VvezSQ5IX

— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 18, 2022

“When we’re fully healthy, we’re a different team,” Liddell said. “When Kyle’s out there, when Zed’s out there, we’re all ready to go. I feel like they came in and were ready to play today.”

Prior to the game, Holtmann said he wanted the Buckeyes to improve in three areas: get healthier, rebound better and play better defense. They succeeded in all three, and he gave credit to his team afterward.

“Players win games,” Holtmann said. “They took great ownership in improving in those areas, Dana. We have to. We’re obviously going to have to to continue to advance in this tournament. They did it today. We’ve got a great respect for this Loyola team. It’s a great win.”

Now, Ohio State advances to the round of 32 where it’ll take on the winner of No. 2 seed Villanova vs. No. 15 seed Delaware.