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Buckeyes Host New Orleans Thursday Evening - Ohio State
Ohio State vs. New Orleans
Buckeyes Host New Orleans Thursday Evening
Ohio State will conclude the home non-conference portion of the schedule on Thursday when it hosts New Orleans. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed exclusively on B1G+. Connor Schuh, former Ohio State captain Joey Lane and Tyler Danburg will call the action.
- This will be just the second all-time meeting between the programs. Ohio State won the first meeting back in the 1989-90 season as Perry Carter scored 22 points to lead the Buckeyes to a 74-66 victory in the Sugar Bowl Tournament.
- The Buckeyes are also a perfect 5-0 all-time against the Southland Conference and are looking for their 31st consecutive victory against unranked non-conference opponents at Value City Arena.
- Ohio State enters the game at 9-2 overall and is coming off a hard-fought 67-60 victory over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic last Saturday in Atlanta. Sophomore Roddy Gayle Jr. led the Buckeyes with a game-high 19 points. Jamison Battle made the team's lone three-pointer and finished with 14 points. Atlanta area native Bruce Thornton scored 13 points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and dished-out a game-high four assists.
- The Buckeyes have the 18th best adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom. They average 79.5 points per game and shot better than 38 percent from long range as a team. The game against UCLA snapped a streak of six-consecutive games of 80 or more points.
- Thornton leads the team in scoring at 18.0 ppg and his 4.70 assist-to-turnover ratio is second-best in the country and in the Top 10 nationally.
- Gayle Jr. has exactly matched his scoring total from last season as he has 162 points for an average of 14.7 ppg. He and Thornton are the only guard duo in the Big Ten to each average better than 14.5 points and 3.5 assists per game this season.
- New Orleans comes into the contest at 5-6 overall. The Privateers last played on Dec. 14, defeating DIII Birmingham Southern 91-51. Jordan Johnson leads the team in scoring (23.1 ppg), three-pointers (36), and assists (48). Khaleb Wilson-Rouse is the other Privateer averaging in double-figures at 10.9 ppg and he has a team-best 22 steals.
- Transfer forward Jamison Battle has made at least one three-pointer in every game this season and at least one in 17 of his last 18 games. He is just 17 three-pointers away from 300 in his career.
Ohio State puts home win streak on the line against New Orleans
New Orleans Privateers (5-6) at Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten)Columbus, Ohio; Thursday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Ohio State hosts New Orleans trying to continue its six-game home winning streak.
The Buckeyes are 6-1 in home games. Ohio State is second in the Big Ten with 10.9 offensive rebounds per game led by Zed Key averaging 3.1.
The Privateers have gone 1-5 away from home. New Orleans ranks sixth in the Southland with 9.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Jamond Vincent averaging 1.7.
Ohio State makes 46.8% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.6 percentage points higher than New Orleans has allowed to its opponents (44.2%). New Orleans scores 13.4 more points per game (80.0) than Ohio State gives up (66.6).
Jordan Johnson, New Orleans out to upset Ohio State
Ohio State righted itself against UCLA and hopes to carry that momentum into its home game against New Orleans on Thursday.
deadspin.com
Jordan Johnson, New Orleans out to upset Ohio State
Ohio State righted itself against UCLA and hopes to carry that momentum into its home game against New Orleans on Thursday.
The Buckeyes (9-2) defeated the Bruins 67-60 in Atlanta on Saturday, a week after blowing an 18-point second half lead in an 83-80 loss at Penn State.
"Our guys were not too dismayed by a loss. They know it's a long season and you can't get too high or too low," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said on his weekly radio show. "You try not to make too much of wins and/or losses, particularly early in the season because it's so much about how you're growing and getting better, but it was a really solid win.
"We've had a really good start to our year. To be able to beat a tough-minded team in UCLA, it's a really quality win. Our guys just found a way."
New Orleans (5-6) is led by Jordan Johnson's 23.1 points per game. He is making 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers, down from his 48.2 percent last season as a junior when he had the best 3-point percentage among Division I players.
"He's an elite marksmen," Privateers coach Mark Slessinger said.
Yet, Slessinger said the key to beating the Buckeyes is playing close to the basket and getting free throws.
"The foul line for us wins games," he said.
