Three high-level games in the Maui Invitational gave the Buckeyes plenty to evaluate as a road date with Duke looms next on the schedule.
Ohio State's Justice Sueing and Zed Key's full press conference after beating Texas Tech in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 23, 2022.LAHAINA, Hawaii – The intrigue was just as high within the program as it was from the outside as Ohio State touched down in Maui. After three games against low-major competition, the Buckeyes joined a loaded Maui Invitational field featuring three top-25 teams, an in-state foe in Cincinnati and a historically bad Louisville team.
For the first time this year, the Buckeyes saw that adversity. At first, they struggled. As the tournament went on, they started to adapt. Now, with 22 of the remaining 25 regular-season games scheduled against high-major competition, Ohio State returned to the mainland with a clearer picture of what it is this season.
Ohio State’s inability to slow down opposing offenses last season was well-documented. The Buckeyes allowed 99.3 points per 100 possessions last season according to KenPom.com, their mark in Holtmann’s five seasons and most porous effort since allowing 101.0 during the 2016-17 season – Thad Matta’s last. That team was passed over by the NIT.
Things got better against Cincinnati and more challenging against Texas Tech , and Ohio State will head to Duke ranked No. 61 in adjusted defensive efficiency at 95.4. Sueing took it up another notch and poured in a career high 33 points to lead the Buckeyes past the Red Raiders in the Maui finale“Anybody on this team has the ability to score the ball and to go off,” third-year center Zed Key said after the Texas Tech game. “Justice had a dazzling performance. He's vital for this team. He's an older guy. He's a leader.”
For the most part, those offensive talents have allowed the Buckeyes to cover for a defense that is still a work in progress. In the loss to San Diego State, Holtmann estimated that his team played about 15 minutes’ worth of defense.
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