Ohio State Big Ten tournament tip-off preview: Penn State

It's tournament time for Ohio State.

The six-seed Buckeyes travel to Indianapolis for a second-round date with No. 11 Penn State after the Nittany Lions' 60-51 win against Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten tournament Wednesday night.

Here's what you need to know before Ohio State's third meeting with Penn State this season.

Ohio State (19-10, 12-8 Big Ten) vs.Penn State (13-16, 7-13 Big Ten)

WHEN: 9 p.m.

WHERE: Gainsbridge Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: Big Ten Network

RADIO: Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield

KenPom Prediction: Ohio State 67, Penn State 63

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Ohio State hopes for health, better play in Indianapolis

Chris Holtmann has two goals for the upcoming Big Ten tournament.

“I’d like to get a little bit healthier and just play a little better,” Holtmann said. “Those are the two things, whatever comes out of this week.”

At the start of conference tournament play, Ohio State was in a very similar place heading into the final game of the regular season against Michigan. Redshirt senior forward Kyle Young remains sidelined with a concussion, while sophomore forward Zed Key is a game-time decision after re-tweaking his right ankle injury against the Wolverines.

Other than Justice Sueing’s continued absence due to an abdominal injury, everyone else on Ohio State’s roster should be good to go, Holtmann said.

But Ohio State will not be a rested group.

Holtmann gave his team Monday off, but held full practices Tuesday and Wednesday, hoping to regain some momentum after losing in three of their last four games of the regular season.

However, condensed schedules due to postponed games has made a tournament-style schedule the new normal for Ohio State.

“That’s such a unique situation for a college basketball team, but hopefully the quick turnaround… the quick prep, the ability to kind of turn the page from one game to the next and move on, will be valuable for you,” Holtmann said. “A compressed scouring report and all those things, which you are obviously going to face in a setting like this and in the NCAA Tournament.”

Buckeyes bring history of success in Big Ten tournament

Ohio State has found a level of success in the Big Ten tournament.

In the past two Big Ten tournaments, the Buckeyes have won four games, advancing to the tournament final in 2021 before falling to Illinois by three points in overtime.

But Holtmann knows one thing for sure. In the Big Ten tournament, there are no guarantees, something Ohio State has seen all season long.

“It’s a lot of matchups driven and it’s how you play on that particular night,” the Ohio State head coach said. “To some degree, it’s the feel around your team as well, but I think sometimes, people don’t understand that kids are pretty resilient and they have the ability to move on, win or lose, to what comes next, and that’s our job as coaches it to get them to move on to the next thing.”

For players like Malaki Branham and Cedric Russell, who have never played in a Big Ten tournament, Holtmann said he’s relying on his older players to show them what to expect, telling them about the increased physicality and aggressiveness that this stretch brings.

Just like every other point in the season, though, Holtmann is worried about his team now who it is facing. His focus is improving on what the Buckeyes can improve on, keeping the standard on how they are playing instead of winning or losing.

And he knows this stretch will be a challenge.

“We know, in this tournament, every game will be a challenge,” Holtmann said. “That’s the reality… We know it will be a challenging game tomorrow night at 9 o’clock and we’ll go onto the next matchup, if we win.”

Round three with Penn State

Both matchups with the Nittany Lions in 2021-22 have been completely different games.

In their first meeting — a road game for the first Big Ten game of the season — Ohio State was red hot offensively, making 12 of its 27 attempts from 3 with Young, Branham and E.J. Liddell each recording at least 11 points and beating the Nittany Lions despite losing the rebounding battle by one, recording 13 turnovers and 17 fouls.

In the second meeting at the Schottenstein Center, that offensive momentum did not carry over. Other than Liddell and Key combining to make 10 of their 21 attempts from the field for 29 points, the Buckeyes shot 30.4% from the floor. But a plus-seven advantage on the glass and only nine turnovers helped them squeak out a five-point win.

Based on Penn State's last three games, the latter seems more likely.

In losses to Illinois and Rutgers to close the regular season, the Nittany Lions failed to allow more than 60 points, coming in with the best defense in the Big Ten: allowing 66.2 points to conference opponents, while each shot 42.2% from the field: second-best in the conference.

However, Penn State comes in with the second-worst 3-point defense in the conference, allowing opposing offenses to make 37.2% of tries on just over 21 chances per game, something Ohio State has taken advantage of, making 38.5% of tries against the Nittany Lions in two games.

No matter who his team faced, Holtmann said Ohio State was going to come in with the same mindset.

"It’s really important that you come with a level of aggressiveness and quality of play," he said. "I think it’s important that we stay aggressive and play very well and understand it’s going to be a very challenging game. I think that’s a mindset as much as anything."

Penn State was aggressive Wednesday night, whether it was on the glass with John Harrar's four offensive boards or Jalen Pickett's offense, hitting nine of his 14 attempts from the field, including three of his four attempts from deep.

It was enough for the Nittany Lions to beat a Minnesota team that was crawling to the finish line, playing each of its five starters for all but 51 seconds of the opening round of the tournament.

But Ohio State is a bit tired and depleted as well, coming off a stretch of 10 games in the span of a month. The Buckeyes will be short-handed too, without the versatile Young in and around the post and possibly Key.

Liddell will need to be the player he was Jan. 16 against the Nittany Lions: taking control of the post and the offense, even if it means more of a one-dimensional approach offensively. With that, someone else, whether it's Branham, Justin Ahrens, who hit four of his eight 3-point attempts against Michigan, or Jamari Wheeler, will need to step up with Liddell's responsibility elsewhere.

This will be a dogfight, especially in the post. But for a team that's looking for the success and the mojo its had in conference tournament play in the recent past, Ohio State will get off on the right foot Thursday night.

Ohio State 69, Penn State 65