Behind dominant defensive effort, red-hot Buckeyes roll at Rutgers

Ohio State has now won back-to-back road games.

That alone is a mighty feat for a team that, last month, set a program record with 17 straight losses in an opponent’s arena.

But, what’s more, the Buckeyes have now won 5-of-6 games since Jake Diebler took over as interim head coach, and suddenly they enter the Big Ten Tournament with a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Behind a dominant defensive effort in Jersey Mike’s Arena Sunday afternoon, Ohio State rattled off its second consecutive blowout win, this one over Rutgers (15-16, 7-13 Big Ten) by a 73-51 margin.

Four Ohio State starters finished in double figures, and the Buckeyes (19-12, 9-11) — revamped on the other end since Diebler assumed his new role — suffocated a struggling Scarlet Knights offense.

Ohio State throws first punch, doesn’t allow Rutgers field goal until 12:32 mark

Ohio State held Rutgers scoreless for more than three minutes to start the game. Ohio State held Rutgers without a field goal for close to seven and a half minutes out of the gates.

The Scarlet Knights entered 282nd nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, and dead last in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (39.5%). They unceremoniously began Senior Day 0-of-11 from the field.

Rutgers’ most notable senior, center Cliff Omoruyi, picked up two quick personal fouls less than three minutes into the game. Plus, journeyman guard Jeremiah Williams — who had given the Scarlet Knights’ offense a shot in the arm after starting the year with a 15-game gambling suspension — had to take a seat after he picked up his second foul before the second media timeout.

Rutgers got some great looks in the opening seven-plus minutes of action, but its shot makers couldn’t capitalize. Ohio State had a hand in that slow start, too, thanks to five-first half blocks, including two from wing Jamison Battle and two from center Felix Okpara. Head coach Steve Pikiell’s team got its first two field goals from backup center Emmanuel Ogbole, both in the form of thunderous, two-handed dunks from the 6-foot-10, 260-pound Aune-Adoka, Nigeria, native.

Ohio State opened the game 3-of-4 from the floor, courtesy of back-to-back 3-pointers from Battle and Roddy Gayle Jr., and the Buckeyes eventually built a 10-point lead in the period. Except, they went into halftime with only a two-point advantage.

Buckeyes turnovers breath life into Scarlet Knights offense down the stretch of first half

Ohio State’s slim lead at the break was largely a result of its nine first-half turnovers, off which Rutgers scored 10 points. Actually, 10 of the Scarlet Knights’ first 20 points were off Buckeyes giveaways. Ohio State point guard Bruce Thornton came into the game ranked sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio yet committed three turnovers, as opposed to just two assists, in the opening frame.

Thornton was called for a carry and a travel and had a hard time dissecting Rutgers’ excellent half-court defense. Pikiell’s group, which is fourth nationally in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency, shrunk passing lanes and provided timely baseline help, often forcing the Buckeyes into contested shots.

Ohio State enjoyed success when it pushed the ball in transition, AKA before Rutgers could get set defensively, like when Okpara rolled to the basket for an easy layup that staked Ohio State to its biggest lead of the half, a 25-15 advantage, or when Gayle got a floater in the lane to make it 29-20.

But those first-half turnovers — including two Devin Royal travel violations early on — were a serious thorn in the Buckeyes’ side.

3-point shooting, defense carry Ohio State to finish line

Ohio State turned the ball over twice more in the first two minutes of the second half. After that, though, the Buckeyes gave it away only four additional times. For the most part, Diebler’s squad dominated the final frame — on both ends of the floor.

The Buckeyes strung together a 22-5 run in the second half that gave them more than enough breathing room. In the process, they prevented Rutgers from recording a field goal for more than nine and a half minutes. Ohio State’s defense was even more disruptive during that stretch than it was to open the game.

It really started with a strip from freshman forward Scotty Middleton and a block from center Zed Key that led to a Rutgers traveling violation, all on the same possession. Then, after the teams momentarily seesawed with turnovers, do-it-all Buckeyes guard Evan Mahaffey showcased a chasedown block of lengthy Rutgers freshman Gavin Griffiths. Next up, Middleton jumped a Noah Fernandes pass and took it the distance for a fastbreak layup. The Buckeyes followed that sequence with back-to-back 3-pointers: the first a second-chance opportunity created by Mahaffey for Thornton, and the second a Middleton make from the top of the arc.

That Middleton 3-pointer put Ohio State up, 52-35, and moved the Buckeyes to 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. Not long after that, Omoruyi fouled out for Rutgers, and Ohio State coasted to the finish line.

But it was defense and 3-point shooting — two areas of the game that were weaknesses for the Buckeyes much of Big Ten play — that drove Diebler’s team at Rutgers.

Ohio State rounded out the day 9-of-20 from long range and shot 50% from the field. Gayle led the way 14 points and five rebounds. Okpara did a bit of everything with 10 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Thornton didn’t turn the ball over in the second half and finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.