Justice Sueing takes great pride in his versatility.
The junior transfer has done a little bit of everything for Ohio State this season, from leading the Buckeyes in scoring, to posting double-digit rebounding numbers, to taking over the primary ball-handling role when his team needed a point guard.
On Thursday night against No. 8 Iowa, everything that makes Sueing so multiple was on full display.
The 6-foot-8 forward finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in his side’s 89-85 win, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and adding a steal in 34 minutes on the court.
“Twenty assists, six turnovers is pretty clean-- I think we just moved the ball. I’ll tell you what, I thought Justice Sueing-- a couple of his offensive rebounds were critical for us,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said. “I just think more than anything, we were in attack mode against some of their changing defense.”
The first-year Buckeye hit two major shots from deep against a defensively challenged Iowa team after entering the evening shooting 25 percent from 3-point land.
As is usually the case with Sueing at his best, numbers don’t tell the full story here-- though they do speak volumes about his all-around impact.
Ohio State’s de-facto starting point guard was sound with the ball in his hands, recording only one turnover and complementing C.J. Walker as a secondary ball-handler as the game wound down and Iowa applied full-court pressure.
He was even more active on defense than on offense, flying around the court to contest shooters and doubling down on All-American Luka Garza at every possible opportunity.
“We mixed up our coverages between trapping and what we call digging ball-side,” Holtmann said. “He had to have a body on him, because he’s the most difficult matchup in the country.”
Most impressive of all, though, has been Sueing’s growth in terms of playing through the physical grind that is Big Ten basketball.
Holtmann has consistently preached patience with the Pac-12 transfer, saying the adjustment period in conference play may require a longer longer leash than most expect.
It certainly seems like Sueing has found his place.
Head-down drives into traffic have turned into floaters in the lane or well-timed passes to teammates on the perimeter. Ball-stopping outside the arc has morphed into making the right pass to an open shooter. Everything is clicking.
It could not have come together at a more important time.
In the madness that was Thursday night’s game, Sueing provided stability. A steady hand. He played mistake-free basketball against a team looking to force him into mistakes.
His ability to balance aggression with control kept Ohio State above the water when Iowa made its patented second-half run.
“One of the biggest questions about our team was our chemistry and our ability to play well together. I think that everybody took that with a grain of salt,” junior guard Duane Washington said. “I think for us, we just love each other. We understand what it takes to win.”
Sueing made the right passes at the right times, grabbed rebounds and kept crucial possessions alive, and generally acted as the calming hand in this high-intensity, top-10 matchup between two of the most efficient teams in the country.
Who would have predicted that a month ago?
For a team with as many consistent contributors as Ohio State, having a stable presence that can fill any role necessary is critical.
Justice Sueing provided that presence in his team’s biggest win of the season, a testament to his own growth as a player and Ohio State's togetherness as a team.
“I think you saw us the second game of the season. It wasn’t really pretty for any of us, especially the head coach,” Holtmann said. “We’ve gotten better, and guys have gotten individually, and we’ve gotten better playing together.”
