Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon talked to Justin Ahrens after the Wisconsin game.

The Buckeyes senior forward and captain had been struggling from 3, hitting five of his last 24 attempts from deep. Each shot, Pedon said, was right on from Ahrens, but hitting the front rim, whether it’s because of not having enough strength in his legs back from the three-week layoff or the windows he’s getting from Big Ten play.

But Pedon wanted to make sure Ahrens knew Ohio State still had confidence in what it views and what the rest of the Big Ten views as a sharpshooter from deep.

“‘Think back on your career and when you’ve been your best, you have shot great or you played well, how many of those were you in a frustrated state, were you upset, hanging your head,’” Pedon said. “Hopefully giving him some perspective, the advantage of our staff is we have a lot of experience with him. He’s played a lot of games here as a Buckeye. We have a high level of confidence in him and we want him to keep taking great shots and having a belief that those will go in.”

It was something that didn’t go as planned in Ohio State’s last road game against Wisconsin, hitting only three of its 19 attempts from deep. Players not named E.J. Liddell, who made two of his three attempts from beyond the arc, hit only one of 16 attempts.

In those circumstances, the game plan doesn’t change.

Sophomore forward Zed Key said that in Ohio State’s huddle, it was encouraging those players to keep shooting, reminding them that everyone misses shots at some point,

“When shots aren't falling, you just don’t stop shooting,” Key said. “You can’t get in your head like, ‘Oh, I’m done shooting.’ You just have to keep shooting because if you're not shooting then they are not going to go in.”

Key himself isn’t a 3-point shooter, not attempting a single attempt from deep in his two years with the program. But he and the forwards in the paint area have a role to play in Ohio State’s perimeter success.

For the Buckeyes, offensive rebounding off misses is key, kicking out, leading to open looks. And even just sheer point play can sink an opposing defense into the paint, getting open looks on the outside.

“Teams know that we like to shoot 3s and they play for the 3,” Key said. “Justin Ahrens, they don’t leave his body at all because they don’t want him to shoot. Once we get the ball in the paint, we can make the right passes and get the right people open.”

Even with the struggles against the Badgers, Ohio State is still hitting 37.8% of 3-point attempts it takes, 29th best in the country. In Big Ten play, that percentage is down to 37.1%, but it’s fourth-best in the conference.

No matter if Ohio State’s cold or hot from deep, that doesn’t change the approach.

“I tell them, ‘Shoot the ball,’ because when the shots are falling, it’s easier for the big guys because our opponents really can’t double,” Key said.

“I hate when they don’t shoot. I say, ‘Shoot the ball. If I pass it to you, please shoot it.’ It helps us on both ends.”

Zed Key returning from bout with COVID-19

Key confirmed Saturday that he was one of the members of Ohio State’s program to test positive for COVID-19 during its three-week pause.

“It was a little tough, being off for 15 days,” Key said. “I was one of the people who had COVID, so it was even more tough trying to get back, just being off for that long. You just had to push and put in the extra work justy to get your body right.”

Since returning to the court Jan. 2 against Nebraska, Key has averaged only 6.8 points per game, but is still shooting 63.2% from the floor. The sophomore forward is also averaging seven rebounds per game, but had one 14-rebound performance against the Cornhuskers.

Key said he had a little symptoms — “nothing too crazy” — but that he’s “OK now.”

Meechie Johnson Jr. day-to-day

After sitting out the game against Wisconsin with a facial injury, freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. is still day-to-day and is doubtful to play against Penn State.

“I think it’s just a mentality of ‘next-man up’ and having a group of guys that will step up when called upon,” Pedon said. “Urban Meyer (said) ‘You can be your best when we need you most.’ I think we have a unique roster where we have 13 or 14 guys that can help us win. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a team where, a program where you can say that. I do believe it.”

Johnson, Pedon says, provides a dynamic play-making ability and quickness that affects both ends of the floor, something he expects to have back on the court soon.

Both Seth Towns (back) and Justice Sueing (abdominal) will also be out for Ohio State against the Nittany Lions.

Ohio State takes on Penn State at home noon Sunday.