Pregame Glance: Miami (OH)

The Ohio State Buckeyes continue their battle with flying mascots and with non-conference play on Thursday against those RedHawks of Miami…of Ohio. It’s been an up and down year for this MAC squad. They’ve beat some very tough competition including in state opponent Dayton and a top notch Belmont team.

But fresh off a 77-75 loss to Evansville on Tuesday, that saw the Aces put together a 16-2 run to start the 4th and a 7-0 run to cap the game — there is a lot to prove and improve on for head coach Charlie Coles’ squad.

Opponent Overview:

Considered early as one of the favorites of the MAC, the RedHawks squad have struggled so far in 2011 to find a consistent rhythm.  The major issue has been movement and finding the open man.

Up to this point, Miami has only averaged 11 assists per game. They are 295th in the country in rebounds on the season.  The true test has been trying to find members of the squad that can contribute consistently. The talent is definitely there, it just comes down to gelling as a team.

Exactly why head coach Charlie Coles always schedules a tough non-conference schedule. After losing four straight, including dropping a game to Wright State (who the Buckeyes beat easily earlier season), it looked like the Hawks were going to turn things around after a very solid win over Belmont. Miami had four players score in double figures, got to the charity stripe 28 times, and held the Bruins to just 6-21 from the perimeter.

Then against Evansville much of the problems on defense that has them ranked 170th nationally by KenPom in his latest AdjD rankings came to haunt Miami against Evansville on Tuesday. The Aces shot nearly 60% from the field, 6-12 from three and only turned over the basketball 8 times.

Yet offensively the RedHawks only turned it over 13 times, but Evansville outscored Miami 21-10 off of takeaways. Despite the loss, the Redhawks shot a season best 56% from the floor and got solid movement and scoring all around the court.

It looks like Miami is well on it’s way to turning things around heading into play. First though, they must run into the buzzsaw that is Ohio State University.

Players To Watch:

One thing that is clear heading into Thursday’s action is that how forward Julian Mavunga goes is how the RedHawks go. He has lead the team in rebounds seven out of nine games, scoring 8 times, and has six double doubles on the young year. Coach Coles considers him the best player in the MAC conference. He has averaged to obtain nearly 50% of Miami’s rebounds this season. Usually he scores 35% or more of the teams points.

Working his way into the mix is guard Brian Sullivan, who scored 18 points on Tuesday. The freshman combo guard has shown good decision making skills and isn’t afraid to create space to find a shot. In the last couple games he has been a spark off the bench offensively.

6’8″ forward Jon Harris is second on the team in points per game, and is considered the player with the most potential on the roster. He’ll play close to 40 minutes alongside Mavunga in the post.

Josh Sewell adds some range to the lineup at the 3. He is a slasher that likes to settle for the jump shot. He’ll test the Buckeye Perimeter D and will most likely be a big part of the offensive gameplan on Thursday. If he can get hot, he will create just enough havoc to be annoying.

The only issue is that the RedHawks have yet to make more than 10 three pointers in a game this season.

Quinten Rollins will lead from the point guard position. He is Miami’s best on-ball defender without question. He finds himself passing up shots way too often, but continues to work on putting up the 4 shots a game he averaged a year ago.

Drew McGhee will get the start at center. He is averaging less than ten minutes a game. He is still learning the ropes and could be the player the Buckeyes challenge defensively.

Buckeye Notes:

• The Buckeyes shot 42% from the line against Lamar and started cold from the Field. Thad Matta said after the game that his team needs to adjust to help prevent slow starts. I have to find the answer. I think it will come from the standpoint of the mentality of thinking outside the box to make sure we’re ready. We need to get to the point where we can sustain our effort throughout the game.”
• The Buckeyes now move to an astonishing 90-5 at Value City Arena against non-conference opponents.
• The Buckeyes held an opposing team to zero three point makes for the first time since 1992 on Tuesday. That’s 620 straight games the opponent made a three point shot…
• The Win over Lamar was the 9th win by 20 points or more this season.
• Deshaun Thomas has now scored in double digits in 11 straight games and set a career record with three three pointers against Lamar.

Tip Off set for Thursday is set for 8:30 PM ET on the Big Ten Network.