Rutgers @ Ohio State preview

Rutgers at Ohio St.

Last Meeting ( Mar 10, 2024 ) Ohio St. 73, Rutgers 51

Ohio State coach Jake Diebler expects a better start when the Buckeyes return home to play Rutgers on Saturday in Columbus.

After all, the Buckeyes (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) couldn't play any worse than they did in Wednesday's 83-59 loss at Maryland that doesn't come close to showing how dominant the Terrapins were.

Maryland had easy looks to knock down its first three 3-pointers to set the tone for a 50-17 halftime lead. The Terrapins stretched the margin to 63-23 within the first five minutes of the second half.

Devin Royal paced Ohio State in that game with 18 points. Bruce Thornton leads the team with 15.5 points per game.

"I thought we lacked real urgency and pressure defensively," Diebler said. "It was uncharacteristic of who we've been. They were able to look at us and hit some early 3s that gave them some momentum, and really there wasn't even any action ran or anything to get those shots. We've got to be much better pressuring the ball, which we've worked on."

Rutgers (5-3, 0-0 Big Ten) coach Steve Pikiell is of a similar mind. His young team, which features two of the best freshmen in the country in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, lost two of three in Las Vegas last week.

The Scarlet Knights beat Notre Dame 85-84 in overtime before losing 95-90 to then-No. 9 Alabama and 81-77 to then-No. 20 Texas A&M.

"We've got to find a consistency with this group; that's the next step in this thing," Pikiell said. "We're scoring 80, 90 points but you can't give up 95. We've got to get some fiber on that end of the floor."

Rutgers, usually known for its defense, is last in the Big Ten in points allowed (75.0 per game) while scoring 81.4.

Harper, the younger brother of former Rutgers standout Ron Harper Jr., is averaging a team-high 23.8 points, 4.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds and has scored at least 14 points in every game.

He scored 36 points against Notre Dame and 37 vs. Alabama.

Bailey has complemented him with 18.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in six games. He recorded his second career double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds) against Texas A&M.

--Field Level Media