Jamari Wheeler preparing for mixed reception as Buckeyes head to Penn State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State guard Jamari Wheeler understands life on the road in the Big Ten.
It’s rough. It’s physical. It’s not easy to enter arenas and pull out wins. He has been trying to do it for years.
But this road environment, in the first conference game of the year, might just feel a little more like home for the fifth-year guard and first-year Buckeyes transfer.
Wheeler spent four years in the Penn State program before transferring to Ohio State. Now for the first time, he’ll be in the Bryce Jordan Center as a visitor when the Buckeyes take on the Nittany Lions on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Wheeler knows the arena well. He knows the opposing team well. The only thing he’s unsure of? The reception he might receive when coming out of the visiting locker room in State College for the first time.
“I’m not really sure. I’ll have both worlds. Some cheering, some booing,” Wheeler said. “It’s just how it goes. I’ve had a couple of fans and friends reach out to me, saying they were excited to watch the game. They’re going to be at the game.
“Obviously, we’re a different school and we’re competing so I won’t be surprised if I got a couple of boos.”
Wheeler has seen a ranked Ohio State team enter a matchup with Penn State and lose before. He was part of a Nittany Lions team that upset the then-No. 21 Buckeyes for a marquee win.
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So when it comes to preparing the rest of the Ohio State roster on how to gear up for road conference games, Wheeler can help in a big way. He knows the Penn State roster. Tendencies, go-to moves, strengths, weaknesses. Wheeler is a valuable piece of the puzzle for the Buckeyes, and even more so this weekend as they continue to prepare.
“In this league, it’s hard to win on the road,” Wheeler said. “Be ready to battle for 40 minutes.”
After a stunning upset win over top-ranked Duke, Ohio State will need to avoid a road hangover after the high that came with taking down the Blue Devils. The savvy veteran Wheeler can help with that, too, especially as a team chock-full of young, inexperienced contributors who haven’t played in many road games.
Wheeler certainly has. But for him, this game might be just a little different. A Homecoming, in a way. Only the crowd who once cheered him to an upset win over the Buckeyes won’t be too friendly this time around.
“The booing, the trash talk, all that. It just gets me going and gets me to the next level,” Wheeler said. “Where I’m from, that’s how we play anyway. I’ve been playing like that my whole life. Bringing it up to this level is going to help me even more. …
“I really don’t care about what they say or anything like that. The only thing I’d be happy with is to walk out of there with a win.”
