The Ohio State Buckeyes return to the hardwood this evening to take on No. 17 Alabama in the Emerald Coast Classic.
The Buckeyes improved to 3-1 after a well-rounded defeat of Western Michigan. They will now face their 2nd ranked opponent already this season as they square off with No. 17 Alabama. This game is part of the Emerald Coast Classic, with live coverage on CBS at 7:00 pm ET from Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida. The winner will face the winner of Oregon vs. Santa Clara, the loser will face the loser of the same game.
PREVIEWING ALABAMA:
The Crimson Tide are 4-0 on the season, they have scored 100+ points in all but one contest, where they scored 98. These scoring outbursts have earned them the nation’s leading mark in points per game. However, the Buckeyes will be their first major conference opponent.
Projected Starters:
Aaron Estrada (G)
Mark Sears (G)
Rylan Griffen (G)
Nick Pringle (F)
Grant Nelson (F)
Ohio State has struggled to defend guards this season, which will be a matchup Alabama is sure to exploit. Their two leading scorers are their guards Sears and Estrada. With marks of 19.5 per game and 15.3 per game respectively. Challenging Ohio State’s young defenders and trying to draw fouls or earn easy scorers will surely be the goal.
Another area where the Crimson Tide will look to bury the Buckeyes will be from long range. They were one of the most prolific long ball teams last season and they will surely look to continue that. They have attempted at least 19 three-pointers in every contest so far.
THE BUCKEYES:
Projected Starters:
Bruce Thornton (G)
Roddy Gayle (G)
Evan Mahaffey (G)
Jamison Battle (F)
Felix Okpara (C)
The play of Roddy Gayle and Bruce Thornton continues to be at a high level. Coach Holtmann knows his Buckeyes are in for a tough task defensively. But this is a perfect opportunity to show their growth and challenge a likely tournament team.
There have been no changes to injuries since the last game, so the availability and bench depth remains the same.
PREDICTION:
The Buckeyes are 5.5 point underdogs. This comes as no surprise as Alabama is ranked and Ohio State lost to its only other ranked opponent. I think that the Buckeyes have the ability to keep this game close with their defense. But I’m not so sure they can string consistent enough offense together to pull off the upset.
Final: Alabama 80, Ohio State 71
Gabe Woodcox is a content contributor for The Silver Bulletin. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of The Ohio State University with a major of Sport Industry. Gabe has been working closely with Ohio State athletics during his sport industry tenure, writing for BuckeyesNews and working most recently with 97.1 The Fan. He is an avid Buckeye basketball and sports betting fanatic and will continue his education in a Turf Management Masters program next fall.