Mick Cronin’s team has been strong in early defensive, scrappy games. However, the season opener between the Bearcats and Ohio State turned into a messy game for Cincinnati. Ohio State surged into a double-digit lead by halftime and extended their advantage early in the second half.
Ohio State then held off a comeback attempt by Cincinnati to win 64-56 on Wednesday night at the Fifth Third Arena. Ohio State led 20-7 from 3:01 left in the first half to 15:26 in the second half, reaching a game-high lead of 16 points. The Buckeyes saw their lead shrink to four points in less than a minute. However, C.J. Jackson made a crucial layup with 29 seconds left to secure Ohio State’s victory. Kaleb Wesson led the team with 15 points, while Wesson, C.J. Jackson, Kyle Young, and Luther Muhammad each scored in double figures. Young grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, and Sean Shaw Woods dished out five of Ohio State’s seven assists.
Ohio State shot 42.6% from the field and connected on 8 of 20 3-point attempts. Cincinnati struggled offensively, shooting only 27.4% from the field and going 6-for-6 from beyond the arc. The season opener marked the first meeting between the two teams in a century.
The early offensive performances of both teams harkened back to a different era of basketball. Ohio State and Cincinnati both have only four returning starters combined – Kaleb Wesson and C.J. Jackson from Ohio State, and Justin Jenifer and Jarron Cumberland from Cincinnati.
