Ohio State's offense isn't always rolling, but the Buckeyes' ability on the offensive boards should keep them in it against Gonzaga and as they try to roll on in the NCAA Tournament.
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. — They are magical do-overs for an Ohio State offense that has needed them more than a few times this season. With Jared Sullinger carving out space, Lenzelle Smith Jr. flying in from the wing and Deshaun Thomas sniffing out the ball like a bloodhound, the Buckeyes' ability to grab offensive rebounds may be their most reliable play call as they face Gonzaga in a round of 32 matchup in the NCAA Tournament today.
"You have teams where they don't know how to execute on a consistent basis, but they still manage to put the ball in the basket," said OSU assistant coach Dave Dickerson, who works with the Buckeyes' big men and has 22 years of coaching experience. "This has been our team this year."
Offensive rebounds then are a hidden, but vital, part of the OSU game plan, as the Buckeyes enter every game knowing the double teams thrown at Sullinger, and sometimes Thomas, are going to cause imbalances in the opposing defense that will create space at the rim for the Buckeyes to attack.
Sullinger, who leads the Buckeyes with 101 offensive rebounds, works the angles and keeps opponents at bay with his backside. (Gonzaga's leading offensive rebounder, forward Elias Harris, has 69.) Smith, whom Dickerson called the most consistent offensive rebounder on the team and who leads the guards with 49 offensive rebounds, watches point guard Aaron Craft, and if he sees him stay back to defend against a fast break, he knows he's free to go.
"I just go the opposite way Jared goes," said Smith, who has found himself boxed out at times by Sullinger this season. "But lately every time I go to the glass, I guess the secret is out because I've got two guys hitting me."
And then there's Thomas, a player that Dickerson says has the best nose for the ball that he has ever seen in his coaching career. Thomas has 87 offensive rebounds on the season, using his right arm to keep defenders off him while often skying one-handed with his left arm.
"The refs don't see it," Thomas said. "It should be an offensive foul but some refs don't see it. Well, usually it's a questionable call. If a guy grabs me or wraps their arm around me, I wrap my arm around them. And I always have a knack for the ball."
Ohio State grabs 12 offensive rebounds per game, while giving up just eight offensive boards per game. According to basketball numbers guru Ken Pomeroy, the Buckeyes have the ninth-highest offensive rebound percentage among NCAA Tournament teams, which measures how often the Buckeyes grab available boards. Gonzaga is 27th.
But the Zags are coming off a 77-54 domination of West Virginia in which rebounding was a key. They tied the Mountaineers, 31-31, in rebounds on Thursday night and held Kevin Jones, one of the best offensive rebounders in the country with 30 more than Sullinger has this season, to just four total rebounds, two on the offensive end.
"You've got to box them out before the shot even goes up," said Gonzaga forward Guy Landry Edi. "That's just like we did against West Virginia. They have one of the best rebounders in the country and we did a great job on him. We have a plan for that so we can do a great job on Ohio State, too."
"That was a key for that game and it's a key for Ohio State," Gonzaga center Robert Sacre said. "We'll have our hands full, but we're a great team that loves to hit, and we're ready for that."
OSU backup big man Evan Ravenel called an offensive rebound "one of the most demoralizing plays in college basketball" for the other team. Thomas said one can "change the momentum a lot, more than a dunk."
For the Buckeyes to succeed, they can't live without them. Virtually every OSU player said if they play today like they did in Thursday's 78-59 win over Loyola, the season will be over. The second chances are the last line of defense.
In practice, Dickerson said the OSU big men are told to finish plays when they make moves in drills, so any initial miss is chased until successfully converted. And both Sullinger and Thomas are always on the lookout for the shot about to come, Sullinger saying he studies his teammates all season so he knows exactly when they're ready to shoot.
"They do a good job of doing some early work in the post, and when the ball is not in their hands they do a great job of getting in position and wedging their way to where the ball is going," Dickerson said.
All season, Dickerson said head coach Thad Matta has done a great job of playing to his team's strengths. And they've always known offensive rebounding is one of those strengths. So when the Buckeyes miss a shot tonight in what should be a 40-minute battle against Gonzaga, Ohio State's best hopes may just be starting.