The Pitt Panthers dropped their first game of the season on Sunday at the Greenbrier Tip-Off to Wisconsin. It is certainly a reasonable loss and a quality experience for this team. The bad news is that they gave up a big lead and lost Damian Dunn for about six weeks. Dunn was playing as well as any Panther and now he has to recover from a thumb injury on his shooting hand. His team also heads on the road for the first time this season to play another Big Ten team in Columbus.
The Ohio State Buckeyes look like a quality team that is every bit as good as Wisconsin. Currently, the Buckeyes are 17th in the KenPom rankings, while Pitt actually climbed to No. 14. Ohio State is currently 5-1 with wins over Texas, Youngstown State, Evansville, Campbell, and Green Bay. The lone loss came to Texas A&M, 78-64. They are scoring 85.2 points while allowing just 59.3, good for 20th in the country on the defensive end. A big part of that is the level of competition of course. Ohio State is a deep team with experience and youth.
They are currently without 7'0" Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw due to off the court issues. Still, it is a deep team with five players averaging double figures. The Chris Holtmann experience did not work as planned in Columbus for some reason. So now it is the 38-year old Jake Diebler in charge. Diebler took over last season and went 8-3 down the stretch. Now he is in his first full season in charge of the program, and first without the interim tag.
These games around Thanksgiving, especially the day after, can always be tricky for coaches. There can be last minute travel and down time for players that are forced to skip family time for time with teammates. It is a short trip to Columbus, but Pitt still has to go through their travel process and treat Thanksgiving like business as usual for the most part. The atmosphere should not be too intimidating, as the arena is large and wide open. There also happens to be an intriguing football game for Ohio State against some team from Michigan tomorrow. Let's take a look at how the Panthers matchup against Ohio State without Damian Dunn.
Bruce Thornton vs. Jaland Lowe
Thornton is in his third year at Ohio State, and the 6'2" junior is having his best season. He has started all 76 games of his career in Columbus, and has actually averaged double figures in all three seasons. Thornton began his career averaging 10.6 points as a freshman, 15.7 as a sophomore, and now at 15.2. He already has passed the 1,000-point marker in his career. In addition to the scoring, Bruce is grabbing three rebounds and leading the team in assists with six. His shooting numbers are outrageous as well, as he is shooting 63% from two, 83% from the line, and 52% from three. The No. 47 recruit in the 2022 class, Thornton isn't even committing a turnover per game, meaning his assist to turnover ratio is over 6 to 1 right now. It isn't just the schedule thus far either, as Thornton produced a 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist game against Texas and has reached double figures in five of six games. Thornton is a really good player that is going to be a problem here.
Jaland Lowe had a nice showing on the Greenbrier trip, although he did commit a few more turnovers than you expect from the steady sophomore. Similar to Pitt, Ohio State is led by their backcourt, and the game could come down to this matchup. This particular battle features two of the best point guards in the country.
Advantage: Even
Meechie Johnson vs. Ishmael Leggett
Johnson is back at Ohio State for his second stint, as the Cleveland guard burst onto the recruiting scene what feels like ten years ago. There was a ton of hype around the young guard, but then he never really lived up to it. Meechie began his career at Ohio State and spent two quiet seasons there. He averaged just 1.2 points and then 4.4 as a sophomore. He then decided to transfer to South Carolina, where he played better and averaged double figures for two seasons. Johnson then opted to return closer to home and finish what he always wanted to do so at Ohio State. It is going much better this time, as Meechie is averaging 10.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. It still isn't exactly what some had predicted years ago, but Johnson is playing much better. He is a smaller guard that isn't a good athlete but does understand how to play as a coach's son. Taking care of the ball has been an issue, as he turns it over 2.5 times per game and has a negative assist to turnover ratio this season. Johnson does have 16 threes this season at a 42% clip. That number is good for second on the team. Three-point shooting is the main concern with Johnson at this stage in his career, but it has gone well thus far.
Without Damian Dunn in the mix, even more pressure will be on Ishmael Leggett. He is likely OK with that though, as he has no problem with the ball in his hands late in the clock with pressure. The Buckeyes have a strong group of guards but this is the spot Pitt needs to take advantage of especially.
Advantage: Pitt
Micah Parrish vs. Zack Austin
Parrish is an experienced 6'6" senior wing. He spent two seasons at Oakland and produced in both of them. Then he transferred to San Diego State and had two solid seasons there, peaking at 9.3 points per game. Parrish just recently started his 100th game and has appeared in 141. He has also been a part of two successful teams at different levels in Oakland and San Diego State. In his final season, for the Buckeyes, Parrish is averaging 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He has reached double figures in 4 of the 6 games and had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists against Texas. Parrish' shooting numbers are just solid (52% from two, 64% from FT, and 32% from three) but he is a very experienced and versatile wing. Micah can take a backseat at times to Thornton and Mobley, but he is capable of producing when his name is called.
Zack Austin has had a nice season, but that was in a limited role off of the bench. Now he is back in the starting lineup most likely with the Dunn injury. In addition to the elite athleticism and shot-blocking, the Panthers will need more from him. Pitt is losing a large chunk of offense with Dunn, so how much of that can be replaced by Austin in a larger role now? That is the question. We will get our first look at how the rotation may look down a productive and versatile guard.
Advantage: Ohio State
Devin Royal vs. Guillermo Diaz Graham
Royal is a 6'6" sophomore that also started at Ohio State. He averaged just 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds last season in about 11 minutes, but has taken a leap forward this season. Royal is now up to averages of 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. Although he is undersized, he fits well as an athletic power forward. He is converting 71% of his attempts from inside the arc. His season includes a 16-point performance against Texas. Royal is not much of a perimeter threat, as he has only made two made threes on the year. Royal may be undersized, but his role is that of a pure power forward.
Guillermo posted 8 points and 7 rebounds against Wisconsin, but went just 1-6 from three. Diaz Graham is taller than anyone in Ohio State's rotation, but he has rarely taken advantage. Ohio State makes a lot of threes and without Damian Dunn, the staff is going to need Guillermo to fill some of that deep void from the four spot. Guillermo will be tested physically in this one.
Advantage: Ohio State
Sean Stewart vs. Cam Corhen
Without Aaron Bradshaw in the mix at the moment, Stewart is getting the opportunity to start at this spot for now. The 6'9 sophomore spent last season at Duke and transferred after just one season. At Duke, Sean played 8.3 minutes per game and averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. This season, he is averaging 4.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in increased minutes. He has reached double figures twice this season. Despite playing in the undersized center role, Stewart is only converting just 48% of his attempts from inside the arc. He is a very athletic player that is still learning how to adapt to the five spot in college.
Cam Corhen was unstoppable against Wisconsin offensively. He used his athleticism and lateral ability to get free against Wisconsin's defense. The Wisconsin staff focused on the at half time and made adjustments to quiet Corhen. That seemed to work, although he was still really good. The issue was just two rebounds in 32 minutes of action. That should be impossible to do with his size and athleticism. This matchup will be a bit different, and maybe even more challenging for Cam. Against larger true centers, Cam can typically use his athleticism to create space and get away from the size. That will not be the case in this one. Still, Corhen should be able to score and hang on the glass in this one.
Advantage: Pitt
Bench
Ohio State is a deep team. Without Bradshaw, they go nine deep with a true difference maker. Diebler has a sixth starter in freshman guard John Mobley Jr. He leads the way with 15.2 points per game, tied for the team lead. He has not contributed much else across the floor game, but Mobley is wired to score. The No. 48 recruit in last year's class leads the Buckeyes with 19 made threes and is shooting an insane 59% from deep. Mobley is a local kid from Reynoldsburg, OH, but got away to two different prep programs. The hometown star is back and looks to have an extremely bright future. He has reached double figures in all six games of his early career, with 14 against Texas and a season-high 23 against Campbell. After Mobley, Ohio State is getting 5.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks from 6'6" junior Evan Mahaffey. 6'6" freshman Colin White adds 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. Then, 5'11" senior Ques Glover rounds out the rotation with 3.7 points. If they can get Bradshaw back at some point, it becomes a legitimate ten player rotation.
Pitt's bench is going to look a lot different now. Zack Austin will likely slide into the starting lineup. pushing everyone else up a slot. The main beneficiary will be freshman wing Amsal Delalic. The freshman looked really good offensively against Wisconsin, as he seems to be getting more comfortable each game. Now they will be forced to play him more so we will get to see how he responds. There will also be more time for freshman Brandin Cummings as well. Both freshmen have flashed, and now they will be more able to play through rookie mistakes on the floor. On the interior, it is still basically just Jorge Diaz Graham. That is proving to be a real problem. When Cam Corhen is out of the game, it is just a much different team. There may not be a solution to this for this season, but you have to wonder if Papa Kante gets a limited look at some point just to try.
Advantage: Ohio State
Jake Diebler vs. Jeff Capel
Diebler is one of the youngest head coaches in the country. The former Valparaiso guard from 2005-09 is just 38 years old and in charge of a Big Ten program. Diebler is from Gibsonburg, OH and just feels tailor made for the role. He started his coaching quest immediately as a Student Assistant at Valparaiso in 2009. Then he became an assistant there from 2011-13. Then he was promoted to an assistant at Ohio State in 2019. He quickly earned the Associate Head Coach title in 2022. That allowed him to take over as interim role last season. The program played well for him and responded down the stretch. Despite some national names tossed out there, Ohio State decided to stick with Diebler. Overall, he is 13-4 in a small sample size, but it looks like he was just born to coach. The administration in Columbus is very excited about Diebler's future.
Coach Capel will now be tasked with tweaking his rotation and keeping the team afloat after the first loss and injury to Damian Dunn. It doesn't get much easier right away, as the Panthers are on the road at Ohio State immediately. Now it is up to the staff to get the most out of Zack Austin, while developing the two freshmen pieces. There is a chance that Diebler is the next great coach at Ohio State, but it is just too early to tell.
Advantage: Pitt
