Believe it or not, Ohio State is one-third of the way through its 2020-21 basketball season.

While the bulk of Big Ten play is still to come, we’ve learned plenty of interesting things about this edition of the Buckeyes.

It’s hard to be unhappy with a two-loss team that has beaten the likes of Notre Dame, UCLA, and Rutgers at this point in the season, but both of Ohio State’s losses were clearly winnable in their closing minutes.

With that being said, the earliest third of this season has presented some clear issues and areas of concern for Chris Holtmann and company while at the same time highlighting some unforeseen successes from this group.

From inside to outside and everywhere in between, let’s take a peek at the good, bad, and ugly of Ohio State basketball through nine games.

In the earliest stages of this season, Ohio State appeared to be struggling to find an identity.

Sure, it was winning games against inferior competition, but there wasn’t a defining trait for the Buckeyes to hang their hats on.

However, in back-to-back contests against UCLA and Rutgers, Ohio State’s recipe for success became clear: Owning opponents on the glass and in the paint.

With a slightly undersized team, that ability may have been overlooked entering the season. But watching the Buckeyes’ three true big men, it’s obvious why this team holds a 299-264 total rebounding advantage over its opponents.

Everything begins with E.J. Liddell, the newly-discovered face of the Buckeyes.

Liddell is pulling down 10.4 percent of Ohio State’s misses this season, a top-level number in the Big Ten. The 6-foot-7 sophomore also boasts an above-average defensive rebounding rate.

Combine that with his 5.5 percent free throw rate and 60-plus percent shooting inside the 3-point line, and the result is go-to option in the half court.

Even without a consistent outside shot, Liddell has clearly shimmied into the role Kaleb Wesson held last season. He presents the largest area of optimism for the Buckeyes entering the bloodbath that is conference play.

After a slow start to the season, senior forward Kyle Young has once again become the bouncy energizer for the Ohio State frontcourt.

Young boasts the highest offensive and defensive rebounding rate for the Buckeyes and has shown some limited post efficiency in recent games. He needs to continue to be the physical force pushing this team forward with his work inside.

The emergence of freshman Zed Key as Holtmann’s sixth man has been critical to Ohio State’s sustained excellence inside this year.

In wins over Cleveland State and UCLA (when Liddell was out or limited with an illness), Key’s importance was game-defining. The freshman registered 23 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks combined in the two victories while shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 9-for-13 from the foul line.

In its three wins over power conference opponents, Ohio State outscored those sides 90-74 in the paint and was plus-23 on the glass.

Without consistency beyond the arc (which we’ll touch on next), the Buckeyes are living and dying through paint scoring and physical play.

Luckily, this team has a trio of effective interior forces.

Whereas it has looked its best when dominating in the paint, Ohio State is at its very worst when attempting to find offense through its perimeter shooting.

Seven players have taken at least 10 shots from 3-point range for this group; Justin Ahrens is the only individual shooting above 33 percent from distance.

As a team, Ohio State is shooting just 30.9 percent from deep. That number falls to an even-uglier 22.2 percent in its three conference games.

Both are bottom-100 rates in Division I.

In losses to Purdue and Northwestern, the Buckeyes connected on a combined 10-of-44 attempts from distance. In the physical landscape that is Big Ten basketball, hitting 3-pointers becomes crucial as a secondary option.

That is why Ohio State’s work defending the 3-point line is even more concerning than its inability to shoot the long ball.

The Buckeyes have allowed opponents to shoot 38 percent from deep, a number that ranks No. 279 nationally.

It’s not just the high percentage that stands out-- it’s the timing of opponents’ hot streaks.

Cleveland State and UMass-Lowell kept things close through a series of timely 3-pointers. Purdue sealed its win with a few late-game triples. Northwestern clawed its way back behind two massive long balls.

When it has needed it most, Ohio State hasn’t been able to draw up a recipe for success against the 3.

There are capable shooters on Holtmann’s roster; it’s critical for this group to find some success behind the 3-point line as the season pushes forward.

Right now, this is a fairly one-dimensional team on both sides of the ball.

Both via the eye test and the numbers, Ohio State’s starting backcourt has been brutal this season.

C.J. Walker (32.9 percent from the field) and Duane Washington (34.8 percent) have been one of the most inefficient pairs of Buckeye starters in program history through nine games.

Compared to the rest of the Big Ten, the guards’ efficiency numbers have been blindingly terrible.

After stepping up near the end of last season, Walker has struggled to control the pace of games. He has turned the ball over a career-high 21.8 percent of the time and has a tendency to pound the rock and drag out possessions.

The counting stats are certainly solid for Ohio State’s primary point guard, but the efficiency and control Walker appeared to have last season has come and gone in spurts through nine games.

For someone with the ball in his hands for a huge chunk of his time on the court, Walker either needs to improve his shooting numbers drastically or play virtually perfectly basketball on both ends of the court.

The fifth-year senior has done neither thus far.

On the flip side is Washington, a player whose ups and downs have been evident through three seasons in Columbus.

Washington has taken 44 more 3-pointers than anyone else on Ohio State’s roster. 33 percent from distance won’t cut it for a volume shooter like the junior has proven to be.

His inability to create shots for others only compounds his atrocious shooting numbers through the early part of the season.

The Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer uses 23.6 percent of Ohio State’s possessions while on the court-- for a player that has dished out only 24 assists in nine games and shoots well below 40 percent, that number is borderline ridiculous.

In the end, however, Holtmann needs his starting guards to produce. Walker has to control games from start to finish; Washington has to score for a team with limited perimeter options.

This is a veteran pairing-- Walker is a fifth-year senior who is used to winning games and Washington is a junior who has seen consistent minutes since the day he stepped on campus.

The duo’s collective experience makes their performance this season even more alarming.

One of the two has to get on track in the near future for this team to have any shot in an experienced, well-prepared Big Ten.

Ohio State has seen its fair share of good and bad this season.

As we power forward into the depths of league play, this team's fate lies both in the continued dominance of its big men and the improved efficiency of its guards.