The Ohio State basketball team is now 2-0 following their defeat of Robert Morris on Thursday. They will have one last “warm up” game before heading to Hawaii to participate in the Maui Invitational. Tonight, the Buckeyes square off with Eastern Illinois at 7:00 pm ET on BTN.

Buckeye Preview:

As predicted, the Buckeyes put together a more well-rounded game against Robert Morris. It was apparent that all the nerves were released in game 1 as the Buckeyes came out with a different energy. The defense was ready, the pace was up, and shots were falling.

Zed Key was a dominant force as he secured a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. His work in the off-season is paying off big time as he looks more agile and sharp on the court. Freshmen Brice Sensabaugh also added 14 points, showing off his skills with some impressive buckets. He has shown himself to be college ready, displaying no lapse in confidence or skill. Justice Sueing and Sean McNeil also had solid games as they broke double figures in scoring. Likekele continues to be the veteran tool guard the Buckeyes have been missing. He plays good defense, can score with ease, and dish the ball to teammates.

A Look at the Panthers:

Eastern Illinois has dropped their first three games to begin the 2022-23 campaign, suffering losses to Illinois, Central Michigan, and Illinois State (who is coached by former OSU assistant Ryan Pedon).

The projected lineup:

Yaakema Rose (G)

Kinyon Hodges (G)

Caleb Donaldson (G)

Sincere Malone (F)

Nick Ellington (F)

The leading scorer of this group is Hodges, averaging 12.7 PPG, through the first three contests. He is nearly 5 PPG ahead of his next closest teammate, Yaakema Rose. These staggering discrepancies in scoring are the reason Eastern Illinois hasn’t yet cracked into the win column. Statistically they are one of the worst shooting teams in the country, they sit at 33.1% from the floor with just 22% success from beyond the arc. This trend better change tonight if the Panthers look to join the group of mid-majors that have upset power-5 teams in buy games.

Expectations:

The Buckeyes starting lineup should be the same:

Isaac Likekele (G)

Sean McNeil (G)

Bruce Thornton (G)

Justice Sueing (G)

Zed Key (F)

Gene Brown will again miss an outing due to concussion protocols.

Eastern Illinois poses no more threat than the first two Buckeye opponents, even less, most likely. However, Holtmann has reiterated it is important to show up every night, regardless of opponent.

With Ohio State’s early success and the Panthers’ offensive struggles, this should be a blow out win for the Bucks. As a tough first round matchup in the Maui Invitational against San Diego State looms, I believe the Buckeyes come well-prepared in their last prep game. I think the Buckeyes should be packing their bags for Maui by halftime.

Prediction: 88-55, Ohio State