Under Jack Owens, Ohio State defense showing signs of improvement with hopes for more
The images from the closing stretch of last year are hard to shake.
With four regular-season games to play, Ohio State had a viable path to at least a share of its first Big Ten title in a decade. From there, fatigue and injuries limited the Buckeyes, but so did a defense that looked more matador than bull. In dropping three of four to finish tied for fourth in the conference, Ohio State’s defense watched as the likes of Maryland’s Eric Ayala, Nebraska’s Alonzo Verge and Trey McGowens and Michigan’s DeVante’ Jones ran roughshod through the heart of the Buckeyes and to the rim.
It wasn’t pretty, and it put a ceiling on what Ohio State could accomplish in spite of finishing 13th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. The details of a defense that finished 111th in adjusted defensive efficiency, the program’s worst in Jim O’Brien’s final season in 2003-04, have been dissected and analyzed during the subsequent months.
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Now it’s up to first-year assistant coach Jack Owens, the program’s new defensive coordinator, to work with coach Chris Holtmann and the rest of the staff to build a new identity for the Buckeyes. After two decades as a full-time Division I coach, a tenure that includes the last five years as the head coach at Miami (Ohio), Owens has a few ideas on what he wants to see from the 2022-23 Buckeyes.
It starts with staying in front of the other guy.
“That’s very important to have guys who have the ability to guard in space but also make guys earn it,” Owens said before the Buckeyes beat St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday at Value City Arena. “We talk about that a lot, make them score over the top. We have guys who are completely bought into that. Now we just have to continue to get better.”
The numbers haven’t matched up to Holtmann’s first three seasons at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes will open Big Ten play Thursday against Rutgers with their best-rated defense since the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID-19. Through eight games, Ohio State is 68th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 96.5 points per 100 possessions.
Those eight games have been split evenly between high-major opponents and low-major ones rated No. 266 or worse according to KenPom. In wins against Texas Tech and Cincinnati and losses to San Diego State and Duke, Ohio State has only limited Cincinnati below the season’s defensive efficiency number. Otherwise, the games against the Red Raiders, Aztecs and Blue Devils would have all rated among the six worst defensive performances from last season.
Clearly, there’s work to be done, but Owens reiterated Holtmann’s point that a team with four freshmen and three transfers all in the nine-man rotation will be a work in progress for a while.
“Not allowing transition points, make a team score in the half court setting and just finishing plays with rebounds but also playing with maximum effort is what we try to do for sure,” Owens said. “You have a good defense when you have guys who are in sync and playing together and have each other’s (backs, and) we have good help defense but also our individual defense will continue to improve as we continue to move on during the season.”
The reasons for that belief lie in the combined inexperience and overall athletic versatility that this Ohio State roster possesses. Holtmann has described starting freshman point guard Bruce Thornton as a two-way player who not only can be the team’s leading scorer but can also guard one of the opposing team’s best guards. His primary backup at the point, fifth-year Oklahoma State transfer Isaac Likekele, has guarded every position this season and was described by Owens as a player who can guard the top option provided he’s not a center. Owens cited both Thornton and Likekele as defenders who can keep their opponents in front of them.
Likekele’s physicality at 6-5, 215 pounds has occasionally allowed the Buckeyes to play without a true center. EvanMiya.com ranks him as Ohio State’s top defender.
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“He’s a guy that’s one of the better defenders in the Big Ten or in the country,” Owens said. “He’s a guy who can defend a lot of positions and hold his own against a lot of players. He’s good in space. He’s strong enough to defend on the block.”
Others aren’t quite as far along in their individual development. Owens described freshman Roddy Gayle and fourth-year Wright State transfer Tanner Holden as “athletic … fast-twitch” guys who will settle into bigger roles as they adapt to playing at this level. Freshman center Felix Okpara, too, is a player whose defense is ahead of his offense but both are works in progress through eight games.
“There’s definitely potential,” Okpara said after posting his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds against St. Francis. “We’ve got to be together when we’re on the floor on defense. We’ve got to talk more. We’ve got to play with intensity. We’ve got to play rough.”
As long as they do that, Owens said there are better things ahead for Ohio State’s defense even as the level of competition increases. Teams are shooting 27.7% from 3-point range and 44.8% from inside the arc this season. Those are the 42nd and 48th best defensive numbers, according to KenPom, in the nation.
The Buckeyes are one of only 11 teams to sit among the nation’s top 50 in both categories.
“Overall as we continue to keep the basketball in front and make a team score in the half-court setting, make them earn tough twos, I think our defense will continue to get better and better,” Owens said. “We want to continue to improve on both sides of the ball, but from a defensive standpoint we want to continue to get better in our transition defense, our dribble containment and improve with our position defense. “
If they do, the final weeks of the season might look a little different than a year ago.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Better things could still lie ahead for Ohio State defense
