It has been far from a thing of beauty from both Ohio State and Minnesota in the first half of a fairly important basketball game at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes have bobbled and kicked the ball several times, clanged a ton off the iron, and just seem completely out of sync, at one point turning the ball over seven straight times. As a result, OSU trails the Golden Gophers 25-23 at halftime.
Ohio State had all kinds of issues scoring against Minnesota’s zone defense despite getting plenty of open shots. Collectively, the Buckeyes made just 11-of-27 (40.7%) shots from the field, hitting just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.
OSU wasn’t even really able to count on the normally consistent play of E.J. Liddell. He was limited to just four points in the first half on 2-of-4 shooting, often deciding to pass out of double teams. Liddell, Eugene Brown, Malaki Branham, and Cedric Russell all lead OSU in scoring with just four points each.
Luckily for Ohio State, Minnesota didn’t play much better. Despite being the benefactor of eight Buckeye turnovers, the Golden Gophers made just 10-of-30 shots (30%), unable to take advantage and build a lead through the first 20 minutes.
First half in the 📚 #Team123 pic.twitter.com/4ZG1VAPpIg
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 16, 2022
You can expect both teams to shoot a little better in the second half, and as long as OSU can come out with more energy and take care of the ball, you like its chances. However, play another half like what we just saw and the Buckeyes could find themselves on the wrong end of an upset.
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