What a debut for Ohio State’s new coach, Jake Diebler.
The Buckeyes started the season against 19th-ranked Texas and walked away with an 80-72 win over the Longhorns.
Takeaways:
Three-Point Shooting
Diebler wanted to weaponize the three-point line, and they did just that. Ohio State’s ability to get two feet in the paint opened the perimeter, where the Buckeyes’ shooters made Texas pay. Ohio State won’t go 14-28 from the three-point line every night, but if they continue to space the floor the way they did against Texas, many Big Ten teams will be challenged defensively.
Freshmen
Tre Johnson (Texas) and John Mobley Jr. (Ohio State) announced themselves to college basketball. Johnson had a reputation for being a legitimate scorer and did that. Johnson scored 29 points on 50% shooting. The Longhorns leaned on the freshman in big moments.
Mobley Jr. scored 14 points in 13 minutes, including 4-4 from the three-point line. For the Buckeyes, depth will be a major key (more on that later) in the Big Ten. If Mobley Jr. and others can help Diebler have confidence in a nine-man rotation, the Buckeyes will do just fine in the conference.
Bench Mob
Ohio State played from ahead all game. With a productive bench, the starters had enough energy to close out. Mobley Jr. wasn’t the only contributor off the bench.
Devin Royal poured in 16 points in 26 minutes, and Evan Mahaffey snagged eight rebounds.
