Bench production, impact drying up as Ohio State delves into Big Ten play
Wisconsin's Max Klesmit arrived at Value City Arena on Wednesday sixth on the Badgers in scoring at 7.2 points per game. He left town with a game-high 18 points, all of which came during the second half.
When Ohio State was ahead 56-54 with 5:16 to play, Klesmit hit a 3-pointer to score the first of what would be 10 straight points for the veteran guard, turning Wisconsin's two-point deficit into a six-point lead on the way to a 71-60 win.
Of the Badgers' five top scorers, only AJ Storr with 17 points matched or exceeded his season average (14.7), so one could argue that it was Klesmit’s production that carried Wisconsin to a road win.
It was the kind of performance that the Buckeyes are still searching for outside of their top three scorers. Jamison Battle had 18 points Wednesday. Bruce Thornton struggled to get to 13 points on 16 shots. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with 9 on 4-of-14 shooting.
Just as had been the case at Indiana four days earlier, Ohio State couldn't find someone to step up, and OSU was unable to overcome a tough shooting night from its backcourt.
The loss further laid bare what is becoming a fundamental truth about this team: Outside of the top three scorers, the Buckeyes aren’t getting a lot of offensive production. It’s not so much that any one player needs to step up when Gayle, Thornton or Battle is struggling, but that multiple guys might need to do more.
“We’ve got to look at it as a staff and see who that might be,” coach Chris Holtmann said. “It may not be one particular guy, it just may be a little more from a number of guys.”
Thornton (16.6 points per game), Battle (15.2) and Gayle (14.2) have all taken at least 175 shots this season. Together, they are responsible for 57.7% of Ohio State’s attempts. No other player has taken more than 94 shots.
And lately, the shots that are being taken aren't falling. Bench production has dried up. After chipping in at least 14 points in each of the first 10 games, Ohio State’s reserves have combined to score in single digits against UCLA, West Virginia, Rutgers and now Wisconsin.
“We have capable guys,” assistant coach Jack Owens said. “As a group, we just need to be a little better.”
Freshman wing Scotty Middleton has fought his way through a 2-for-19 slump (10.5%) in a four-game span to go 6 for 9 for 14 points in Ohio State’s two most recent games.
“Sometimes he can force things a little bit,” Holtmann said. “He’s got to stay aggressive, let it happen. I do think when he does that, there’s going to be opportunities for him to be another scorer that we need, for sure.”
Two of Ohio State’s key veterans are trending in the wrong direction. Fourth-year center Zed Key was averaging 10.1 per game following his 16-point performance against New Orleans on Dec. 21. But he has finished in single digits in six of Ohio State’s last 10 games. He played a season-low 9:53 against the Badgers as the Buckeyes leaned more heavily on sophomore Felix Okpara.
Fifth-year graduate transfer Dale Bonner, who spent the last two years at Baylor, went scoreless in a season-low 8:18 against the Badgers. It was the third scoreless game of the year for Bonner, who has totaled five points in his last four outings while going 2 for 17 (11.8%) from the floor.
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“You’re talking about a guy who’s done it in this league at a high level,” Owens said of Key. “Dale Bonner’s going to continue to improve as he settles in. He’s very capable of doing it as well.”
It’s not just scoring that the Buckeyes need from their bench. An 83.1% free-throw shooter, Thornton looked worn down by the end of the Wisconsin game and missed the front end of two one-and-one situations in the final two minutes. Six Buckeyes played essentially half the game (Middleton was on the floor for 19:28), and only eight Buckeyes saw playing time. Freshman Devin Royal, who missed the Indiana game with the flu, sat out again Wednesday.
“Our attention to detail every possession is one thing I remember coach talking about after the game … and pushing through a little bit of fatigue as well,” starting second-year forward Evan Mahaffey said. “When you’re out there, you’re running and there’s no media (timeout), you can definitely get tired. I feel like sometimes our details slip a little bit (late in halves). After a long half, some guys were pretty tired after being out there for long periods of time.”
Klesmit, on the other hand, got going late when his team needed him. For Ohio State to have the season it wants, it would help to have a few more options capable of doing the same.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State in search of more bench production in Big Ten play
