Chris Holtmann’s One Man Show

How far can this Buckeye squad make it without a second star?

Adam Bloom | January 18th, 2022

If you’ve been paying attention to Ohio State’s Men's Basketball team, you will have realized by now that Forward EJ Liddell is a star. Liddell has already gotten media attention as a potential Player of the Year candidate, and is leading the Buckeyes in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. If you tune into an Ohio State basketball game, chances are you are going to see a dominant showing from Liddell. While Liddell has certainly carried the Buckeyes to a strong 11-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten start, as well as a top 20 ranking, this team has struggled to put its opponents away in practically every single game. Whether the Buckeyes are battling #1 ranked Duke, or lowly Akron, most games this season have gone down to the wire. One possible explanation for this is that, while Liddell has been a dominant superstar for the Buckeyes, no one behind him has stepped up to be a consistent second option. This begs the question of how far this Buckeye squad can go this season without an additional star emerging in the second half of the season.

EJ Liddell is leading the Buckeyes in Points Per Game with a dominant 19.9 mark. While this has been exciting for the team, only one other player, Guard Malaki Branham, is averaging double digit points. Over the course of the season, Liddell has scored a monstrous 298 total points, but if you look at the point totals from his teammates, Branham is second by a wide margin, at 153, and no other Buckeye has scored at least 150 points through 15 games. While other players have excelled in other parts of the game, it is becoming increasingly clear that Liddell is the most, and possibly only, reliable scorer on this squad. Just take a look at what other Buckeyes are doing in terms of scoring consistently. 6 players have managed to be the second leading scorer behind Liddell, with only 3 of them, Guard Meechie Johnson Jr., Forward Zed Key, and Branham, doing so more than once. In addition, 5 players have managed to outscore Liddell in a game, but only 2 players, Branham and Forward Kyle Young, have done so a second time. While a variety of players have proved capable of putting up points, no one has shown the ability to be a consistent second scoring option behind Liddell.

Take a look at how Ohio State has performed when Liddell leads the team in scoring compared to when he does not. In games in which Liddell is the leading scorer, the Buckeyes are 7-3. When another player is the leading scorer, the team is 4-1. While Liddell scoring a lot of points certainly is something Buckeye fans like to see, the team actually has a better winning percentage when a second (or third) player steps up as a willing and able scoring option. A look at these numbers in a more specific scenario helps paint an even clearer picture of this dilemma. In games against opponents that were ranked in the AP poll at the time of the game, Ohio State is 2-2 when Liddell is the leading scorer, and is undefeated when another player leads the team in points. What is becoming clearer and clearer as the season goes on is that the Buckeyes are at their best when the team has players beyond Liddell that can step up and get buckets.

A final telling statistic that shows the importance of having a second reliable scoring option is the Buckeyes record when Liddell goes cold. While Liddell doesn’t have many down nights, it is imperative that another teammate or two steps up to fill the void of Liddell’s scoring. Liddell is averaging 51% from the field this season. In games in which he shoots at or above his average, Ohio State has a fantastic 6-1 record. When Liddell shoots below his average of 51%, though, the Buckeyes have struggled, putting up a 5-3 record in such games. The absence of a consistent second star scorer behind Liddell has proved to be a massive liability on nights when the team’s first option is struggling.

What is clear is that when Liddell is hot, or when other members of the Buckeye squad have a good shooting night, the Buckeyes are going to win most of their games. The question is what happens when Liddell goes cold? So far, the Buckeyes have struggled in those games, and no player has appeared to take a jump to become the consistent second star scorer that Ohio State needs them to be. Having a mishmash of players that can get hot is nice, but until a clear reliable second option appears, this team will continue on its current path. That path is not bad by any means, as the Buckeyes have a strong record, are ranked 19th in the AP poll, and are sitting comfortably at 4th pace in the Big Ten; but when this team gets deep into conference play, the conference tournament, and march madness, the question remains: how far can this Buckeye squad go without a second star?