The first half of Marquette’s 52-35 loss to Ohio State was an ugly one, but the Golden Eagles had to feel the Buckeyes were right where they wanted them.
The teams combined to shoot just 13 of the 55 from the field (23.6 percent) in the first 20 minutes, but Marquette was hanging tough with the No. 10 team in the country. Marquette lost and retook the lead four times and matched Ohio State with 10 points in the paint.
Davante Gardner battled the big, physical Buckeye frontcourt, knocking down two field goals and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Junior forward Steve Taylor Jr. did his best Dennis Rodman impression with eight rebounds in the first 10 minutes he played.
Gardner’s and Marquette’s day seemed to turn, however, when the big man was whistled for an offensive foul with 3:01 left in the first half. It was his second foul of the game and coach Buzz Williams quickly subbed in freshman forward Deonte Burton.
Ohio State took the lead with 18:44 left in the game and without the toughness in the frontcourt it had enjoyed in the first half, Marquette’s offense sputtered.
Gardner attempted just one field goal for the remainder of the contest, an uncharacteristic jumper that cut the Ohio State lead to 31-24 with 13:40 to play. Burton failed to score, missing two field goals, and Taylor recorded just one more rebound early in the half.
“I think the ball was too stagnant,” Williams said. “We never were able to create angles off of penetration, (or) create angles off of quick ball and body movement. It was more station-to-station passing. We scored zero points in transition, and they shot 27 percent in the first half, so 70 percent of the time it was a missed shot, and we were never able to throw the ball ahead and create penetration.”
While Marquette’s point-blank misses were an anomaly, Ohio State’s second-half surge revealed one of the Golden Eagles’ key weaknesses. When the post was taken away, Marquette displayed a lack of clutch medium to long-range shooting. The shot selection was poor at times, but even the good ones weren’t falling.
Overall, the Marquette backcourt shot just 13.8 percent from the field. Junior guard Todd Mayo hit three field goals in 15 attempts. One was a layup with time winding down and the game completely out of reach. Senior guard Jake Thomas and junior guard Derrick Wilson went a combined 1-for-14.
Ohio State coach Thad Matta credited his team’s ability to clamp down in the post as a key factor.
“Our biggest fear going into the game was the post and just them getting in there,” Matta said. “We knew collectively all five guys had to guard the post, and collectively we used our length and used our quickness and did a good job with it.”
Wilson said he and the rest of the backcourt felt obliged to step up after the Buckeyes’ fast start to the second half and that the shots taken were a product of the Ohio State defense.
“I don’t think necessarily that people were forcing shots,” Wilson said. “Their defense was packed in, so they were really giving us the shots we were taking. Maybe we should’ve had one more pass, but I don’t think most of the shots were as bad as some people might see them.”
Before the game, Williams and Matta told each other that they’d learn a lot about their respective squads during the contest. Marquette learned that with the game on the line, it simply couldn’t rely on its guard play.
Williams always describes his teams as “paint touch-oriented” and with an inexperienced backcourt this season, Marquette may be especially dependent on that mantra. Ohio State showed that if opponents can neutralize the post, they could create nightmarish situations for the Golden Eagles going forward.