The first day of Thanksgiving week is always like an appetizer for a Thanksgiving meal, sure there are some entertaining games but most of the action is still on the way. The most notable game was Seton Hall-Ohio State which was an instant classic, with Meechie Johnson hitting a game-winning three to lift Ohio State to a big win. While the rest of the day featured some solid matchups as well, let’s round-up what happened on Monday.
Ohio State’s guard-play key in big win against Pirates
EJ Lidell had 28 to lead Ohio State in scoring but that is not why the Buckeyes were able to win, instead, it was really good guard-play and great shooting that lifted the Buckeyes to this win. Meechie Johnson hit the game-winning three to lift the Buckeyes to the win, while the team had a total of 10 turnovers against a stout defensive team in Seton Hall. Add in great three-point shooting from the perimeter and the Buckeyes had just enough to get through the finish line. Going forward, if Johnson continues to play like he has been while the frontcourt continues to impress, this Buckeyes team could be Purdue’s top competitor for the Big Ten crown.
Seton Hall’s defensive flaw is shown in loss
Coming into this season, Seton Hall’s defense was excellent but one major factor for that was opponents not making threes. Well all the misses, became hits today as Ohio State went 11/22 from deep. With Obiagu inside, teams aren’t going to go inside, but with three-point shooting volatility, the Pirates could lose games because opponents go bonkers from three.
Kofi is back, Illinois is not
Kofi Cockburn returned from his three-game suspension and had an alright game in his first game back, as he had 18 points. The rest of the Illini were not great, Andrė Curbelo had 12 points, but he was the only other Illini player to score over 6 points in this game. Getting the roles figured out with Kofi back was going to take a little bit of time, but in no way should it have resulted in a 20 point blowout loss to a preseason non-NCAA Tournament team in Cincinnati. Dare I say that this team was a tad bit overrated coming into this season?
Roddy powers comeback Rams
Trailing 44-24 to a really good Northeastern team that has a chance to win the CAA, Colorado State seemed dead in the water, but they rallied to win the US Virgin Paradise Jam Championship. David Roddy led the Rams with 27 points, 19 of which came in the second half, as he powered the Rams to a 71-61 win. While this Tournament wasn’t make or break for the Rams season, winning this tournament could be a launching point to later success.
Santa Clara is a legitimate NCAA Tournament team
Not that TCU is the best team ever, but Santa Clara ran them out of the gym, which given the fact they’ve done the same to Stanford and Nevada already this season should surprise no one. Jalen Williams is looking like a potential First-Team All-WCC Player, while Josip Vrankic, PJ Pipes, and Keshawn Justice have all played effective secondary scoring roles as well. This team will score a lot of points, and given the fact that the WCC should get more than just 3 bids because of how good the league has been, Santa Clara will be an NCAA Tournament team.