After losing two of its last three games on the road to Big Ten opponents, Ohio State returns home Sunday for its second date against Penn State.
Here's what you need to know prior to tip.
Tip Time Information
No. 16 Ohio State (10-4) vs.Penn State (8-6)
WHEN: 12 p.m.
WHERE: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
TV: Big Ten Network
RADIO: Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield
SERIES: Ohio State leads 42-19
KenPom Prediction: Ohio State 73, Penn State 64
Starting Lineups
By the Numbers
Three storylines to watch
Homeward bound
Ohio State returns home Sunday in need of a turnaround.
The Buckeyes have lost two of their last three games by double digits, both on the road against Big Ten foes.
Watching the film of his game against Wisconsin, sophomore forward Zed Key saw that clearly: the effort wasn’t the same on the road as it has been for Ohio State at home.
“The home-court advantage, it’s a real thing,” Key said. “The fans backing you, you go on a run the fans screaming. I think we just have to find ourselves really on the road and be able to play harder if that’s what it takes to win on the road.”
The Buckeyes’ matchup with Penn State Sunday sparks a three-game home stand over the next week before traveling to Minnesota Jan. 27.
Ohio State has not lost a home game at Value City Arena since the final game of the 2020-21 regular season against Illinois. Since head coach Chris Holtmann’s tenure began in the 2017-18 season, the Buckeyes have only lost 13 games at home, only four of which have been by 10 points or more.
According to KenPom, Ohio State is not projected to lose a home game this season, something the Buckeyes have not done since the 2010-11 season.
“It’s good to be home. I love playing at home in front of the fans,” Key said. “It definitely boosts when you make a dunk or something, they screaming. It definitely gives you momentum.”
On Penn State
Ohio State’s offense was on against Penn State Dec. 5.
The Buckeyes shot over 50% from the field and over 44% from 3, recording three players — E.J. Liddell, Malaki Branham and Kyle Young, who led the team with 16 points on a perfect 4-4 from 3 — with double-digit scoring. Liddell and redshirt senior guard Jamari Wheeler showed up in defensive transitions, recording a combined six of the team’s eight steals against the Nittany Lions.
That’s not the Penn State team Ohio State will host Sunday.
“Penn State is a totally different team than when we played them earlier in the year,” Key said. “They play faster, they play harder, definitely different pieces. They are a really good team and they are coming in Sunday to beat us. We just have to be ready.”
Ohio State will get its first glance at Penn State forward Greg Lee, who has played in only five games for the Nittany Lions this year, but has started the last four. Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon described Lee as a live athlete and a competitor, bringing a dependable, older body to Penn State’s rotation after starting 21 games for Western Michigan last season. Through five games, Lee is averaging 6.8 points and six rebounds per game.
Pedon also pointed out that Jalen Pickett, who scored 23 points for the Nittany Lions against Penn State Dec. 5, had had the ball in his hands a lot more since that game and especially in the Nittany Lions’ return to Big Ten play, starting the new year with three wins against conference opponents in four games, falling to Purdue by seven.
To Pedon, it all stems from head coach Micah Shrewsberry.
“They are going to fight you for everything,” Pedon said. “I think they have a real chip on their shoulder, they play like they are trying to prove something, like they are a bunch of underdogs. I think that is their mentality their coach is forming. He has a background of being a Butler Bulldog for years under Brad Stevens and you can spot that from a mile away.”
Penn State exploited Ohio State’s size
In their first meeting, rebounding numbers were pretty similar between Ohio State and Penn State. Each team brought in 23 rebounds, while the Nittany Lions brought in one more offensive board than the Buckeyes on the road.
However, Penn State forward John Harrar killed Ohio State on the glass, bringing in nine defensive rebounds and three offensive rebounds while no single Buckeyes player had more than six.
This was a clear issue, one of Ohio State’s hindrances, Pedon said, that hasn’t changed over the course of the season. It’s something he saw when he sat at home watching the Northwestern game in health and safety protocol, watching Ohio State secure a win with what Holtmann called the worst defensive rebounding performance the team has had in four years.
As Ohio State returns home, Pedon said his challenge to his players is to continue improvement in the areas that have bitten them repeatedly, not only talking about it and making them aware on film, but practicing it, changing the behaviors.
“You have to make it very obvious to guys and make it rewarding: what’s the reward for us? The reward for us is that we’ll start to win possessions,” Pedon said. “In the Big Ten, possessions are like gold. If we take care of this and we can shore up these three or four areas, we’re going to win 10-to-12 more possessions per game. That’s the difference between winning and losing in a big way.”
Harrar, Lee and Seth Lundy make up a front court that holds a plus-4.8 rebound advantage, a differential that decreases to plus-3.2 in conference play: not too far off from Ohio State’s plus-2.9 against Big Ten teams.
Pedon sees progress from Key, Liddell and the rest of his forwards, continuing to wait for both Seth Towns (back) and Justice Sueing (abdominal) to return from their respective injuries. The assistant coach seems to think, though, the worst of it is behind Ohio State. It’s only up from here, in terms of the Buckeyes’ defensive presence in the paint.
Scarlet and Gray Report's Prediction
Heading into Sunday's matchup, people surrounding Ohio State's program continued to say over and over that this Penn State team was different than the one it played Dec. 5 on the road.
It is a Nittany Lions team with momentum, winning three of their last four games, including a loss in which they gave Purdue a scare.
However, Ohio State always seems to be a different team on its home court. While they had a few close calls against teams like Akron, Duke and Towson, before pulling away, the Buckeyes seem to have its best performances at home, whether it's the offensive slugfest against Northwestern Jan. 9 the best defensive performance of the season hosting Wisconsin Dec. 11.
If Ohio State can find a way to stop Harrar and the rest of Penn State's forwards on the glass and can find a shot from 3-point range, the Buckeyes should continue its home win streak to eight games.
No. 16 Ohio State 71, Penn State 66
