Ohio State left Hartford with a 84-68 loss to No. 4 UConn, and the final margin looked a lot more comfortable for the Huskies than the first half suggested.
The Buckeyes hung around early at PeoplesBank Arena, stayed within two at halftime and even grabbed a brief lead after the break. But UConn’s shot-making and Ohio State’s defensive issues eventually took over, and the Huskies pulled away in the second half to move to 4-0. Ohio State dropped to 2-2 after facing its second ranked opponent in four games.
UConn set the tone quickly. Braylon Mullins drilled a deep 3-pointer to open the scoring, and Ohio State answered with an Amare Bynum putback dunk. The teams traded punches for a stretch, with Bynum later adding a 3-pointer and Andrija Jelavic finishing a layup to tie the game at 7.
That didn’t last long. UConn ripped off an 11-2 run, fueled by two more Mullins 3s, to build a 25-13 cushion.
Ohio State responded with an Ivan Njegovan layup and later a 7-0 burst of its own, but the Huskies kept finding clean looks. By the time UConn had pushed the lead to 38-27, Ohio State was already fighting foul trouble and trying to keep pace with an offense that started 9-for-13 from the field and 5-for-7 from deep.
The Buckeyes did close the first half well. After UConn stretched the margin to 41-37, Ohio State answered with a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to six. UConn then went nearly four minutes without scoring, but John Mobley ended the half with a step-back 3-pointer to finish a 13-1 run and send the Huskies into the locker room up 42-40.
Mobley led Ohio State with 12 points at halftime on 4-for-6 shooting. Bynum had 9, and Jimmie Williams chipped in 6 off the bench.
Mullins paced UConn with 12 points, all while shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Silas Demery added 6 points and 4 assists in just seven first-half minutes after picking up two fouls early.
Ohio State also forced nine turnovers in the opening half and turned those into 16 points, but UConn still shot 50% from 3-point range before the break.
The second half started with a lineup change, as Williams replaced five-star freshman Anthony Thompson in the starting group. Thompson had gone scoreless in nine first-half minutes.
Justin Pippen gave Ohio State a 43-42 lead to open the half, and Williams briefly caught fire, scoring 9 straight points on perfect shooting. But UConn answered again, Mullins tied it at 52 with a jumper, and the Huskies then went on a 10-2 run to seize control at 62-54.
From there, Ohio State’s offense stalled and UConn made the Buckeyes pay. The Huskies pushed the margin to 76-60 with five minutes left and finished off the 84-68 win.
Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes’ loss to UConn.
The defense needs a lot of work
Ohio State entered the game ranked No. 49 in KenPom defensive efficiency, and that number is not going to improve after this performance. UConn put up 42 first-half points and shot better than 50% from the field, with Silas Demery, Braylon Mullins and Colben Landrew all making plays.
The Buckeyes knew the offense would have to carry some of the load this season, but the defense has been worse than expected through the first two weeks. That side of the ball is making it hard for Ohio State to reach its ceiling, and the effort has to change.
Anthony Thompson needs to come off the bench
Thompson arrived as the highest-ranked recruit to sign with Ohio State in 15 years, but the early returns have been rough. He came into the game averaging 5.7 points per contest and had already played only five minutes in the second half against Marshall.
Against UConn, he had 0 points in nine first-half minutes and was replaced in the starting lineup to begin the second half by Williams. There is still plenty of season left, but Thompson is struggling badly right now, and a move to the bench could be what gets him going. Williams should be the one starting.
Ohio State has been a team of two halves
So far, the Buckeyes have looked like a different team after halftime. They have outscored BYU and UConn combined in the first half, but both opponents pulled away after the break. Even in Ohio State’s two wins, it took time to create separation from Youngstown State, and Marshall went on a 16-3 run at one point.
The Buckeyes have shown about 20 to 25 minutes of good basketball against quality opponents, but that won’t be enough. They need a full 40-minute effort, or the conference season could get ugly.
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