Can the West Virginia Mountaineers break the cycle and pick up a win against Ohio State in Cleveland on Saturday night?
West Virginia currently sits at 8-3, and the Mountaineers have yet to add anything remotely close to a signature win this season. As a matter of fact, over the course of the year, West Virginia has won the games that they were “supposed to” win and have lost the games in which they took a step up in terms of the quality of competition they were facing.
West Virginia’s three losses this season have come against power conference opponents in Clemson, Xavier, and Wake Forest. The only power conference team that WVU has beaten is Pitt in a 22-point victory in the Backyard Brawl on November 13th. After falling in consecutive games (Clemson, Xavier), West Virginia won back-to-games against Mercyhurst and Coppin State in blowout fashion. They then fell to Wake Forest by nine points last Saturday before following that up with a blowout win over Little Rock at the Hope Coliseum.
Now, on Saturday evening, West Virginia will square off with the Buckeyes of Ohio State as part of the Cleveland Hoops Showdown. Let’s get familiar with this Ohio State squad ahead of the matchup with West Virginia, as the Mountaineers look to break the cycle and collect a win against a quality Big 10 opponent.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State (7-2) will be entering the matchup coming off an 88-80 loss to Illinois in its second Big 10 Conference game. The Buckeyes' only other loss this season came on the road at Pitt in a 67-66 contest. Pitt’s Damarco Minor hit a game-winning three-point shot as time expired to give the Panthers the victory.
The Buckeyes have picked up wins over IU-Indianapolis, Purdue Fort Wayne, Appalachian State, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, Mount St. Mary’s, and Northwestern.
Numbers to Know
Ohio State ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring with 87.4 points per game while making 52% of its shots, good for second in the conference and twelfth in the nation. Ohio State has the best three-point defense in the Big Ten this season, holding opponents to just 28.5% shooting from beyond the arc.
Players to Know
Ohio State is led by standout guard Bruce Thornton, who is in his fourth year as a starter for the Buckeyes. The senior guard is putting up sensational numbers this season, recording over 21 points, five rebounds, and four 4 assists per game. After shooting over 42% from downtown last season, through nine games this season, he is making 55% (the 3rd-highest percentage in the nation) of his threes on five attempts per game. Thornton is having an All-American caliber start to the season. Thornton scored 34 points on an efficient 13-of-17 shooting in the loss to Illinois, including six made three-pointers.
Christoph Tilly is a 7-foot senior transfer from Santa Clara who is adjusting well to being a Buckeye. Through nine games, Tilly is averaging nearly 14 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. is picking up right where he left off in an impressive freshman campaign with the Buckeyes. Mobley is another Buckeye averaging double-figures in scoring with 13.7 points per game while shooting 35% from downtown.
6-foot-6 junior forward Devin Royal is the fourth Buckeye in double figures this season, averaging 13.6 points per game and is knocking down nearly 40% of his 3-point shots.
West Virginia vs Ohio State
Tip-off between the Mountaineers and the Buckeyes is set for 8pm ET on ESPNU.