Ohio State Men's Basketball vs. Virginia Tech: Game Preview and Predictions

The Ohio State University men's basketball team (21-13 at home, 14-4 at home) advances to the second round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), and the Virginia Tech Hokies (19-14, on the road) advance to the second round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). (2 wins, 9 losses). wait.

In the first round of the NIT, second-seeded Ohio State defeated seventh-seeded Cornell University, 88-83, and third-seeded Virginia Tech defeated sixth-seeded University of Richmond, 74-58. Proceeded to the second round.

If the Buckeyes advance, they will face either No. 1 Wake Forest or No. 5 Georgia in the quarterfinals on Tuesday or Wednesday. Depending on who wins, they will either host Georgia or head to Winston-Salem.

The NIT Final Four will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The semi-finals will be held on Tuesday, April 2nd, and the final will be held on Thursday, April 4th.

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Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images

Sean Pedula and Hunter Kattore led the Hokies, with Pedula averaging 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Pedulla shot 42.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three. Kattoa is averaging 13.4 points per game, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three.

Senior center Lynn Kidd is averaging 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He shot an incredibly efficient 67.1% from the field. Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins are averaging 8.9 and 7.5 points per game, respectively.

Ohio State's Bruce Thornton is averaging 15.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Jamison Battle is averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range.

Roddy Gale averages 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Zed Key averaged 6.7 points per game and Felix Okpara averaged 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Virginia Tech ranks No. 56 overall on KenPom, with a No. 31 offense and No. 100 defense. Ohio State ranks 46th overall, 35th in offense and 63rd in defense, numbers that have increased since interim head coach Jake Diebler took over. As of mid-February, Ohio State's defensive efficiency rating had deteriorated to 106th in the nation. The Buckeyes are 7-2 since Diebler took the reins and have shown an increase in energy and hustle, which impacts the defense more than anything.

In the Hokies' win over Richmond, Lynn Kidd played an active role, scoring 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting and grabbing 8 rebounds. Pedula had 17 points and seven assists, and MJ Collins had 15 points. Catur struggled, making only 2 of 12 from the field, 10 points, and 4 rebounds. He was 3-for-7 with 2-for-3 hits.

Against Cornell University, Battle led the Buckeyes with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Felix Okpara had a career-high 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Roddy Gale added 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Ohio State made 11 of 26 3-pointers, while Cornell made 12 of 33 from deep.

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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK

The win over Cornell didn't inspire much confidence, but it's March after all. That means you need to survive and move forward. The Buckeyes kept going until the end and moved forward.

The obvious looming question mark is the health of Bruce Thornton. Thornton missed the final 10 minutes of the Buckeyes' win over Cornell University due to an ankle sprain, but head coach Jake Diebler announced Friday morning that the sophomore point guard will be scheduled to play against Virginia Tech. He said it would be suitable for

However, just because Thornton is available doesn't mean he will play 100% or the same amount of minutes as usual. The Buckeyes were able to shut out Cornell without him, but Virginia Tech is a better, more balanced team. Freshman wing Scottie Middleton also missed the Cornell game due to family matters and is not part of the program. Diebler did not comment further on his future availability.

Any game where the Buckeyes win a close game will likely remain close until the end. Ohio State has too many weapons on offense, but the changes Ohio State has made in energy, hustle and communication are sustainable, so their solid defensive game should continue. is.

The Hokies are also 2-9 on the road, and this game will be played in Columbus. Sometimes it's very simple.

Survive and move forward.

ESPN BPI: Ohio 65.6%

time: 7:00 PM (EST)

tv set: ESPN Plus

LGHL Score Prediction: Ohio State 80, Virginia Tech 75