Roddy Gayle says Ohio State still 'a work in progress' after Alabama win: 5 takeaways
NICEVILLE, Fla. – Don’t call this a statement.
That was the message from Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr. on Friday night. Moments early, the Buckeyes moved to 4-1 on the season with an emphatic, 92-81 win against No. 17 Alabama in the opening round of the Emerald Coast Classic. Against a Crimson Tide team that had trailed for a total of 8:21 and never by more than nine points in four blowout wins against mid- and low-major programs, Ohio State flipped the script.
The Buckeyes led for 23:31, including the final 23:19 of the game. With 8:10 to play, they pushed their lead to a game-high 15 points. Even as the final minutes devolved into a free throw contest, Ohio State never let Alabama within fewer than three possessions for the final 10:16.
So what would Gayle, who set a career high with 23 points, categorize this effort against a team boasting the top-rated offense in the nation and ranked No. 5 at KenPom.com?
“I say we’re still a work in progress,” he told The Dispatch. “It’s way too early in the season to really solidify anything. We still need to improve on a lot of things, but battling for a championship is the ultimate goal.”
Here are four more takeaways from Ohio State’s first significant win of the 2023-24 season.
Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle shine, but Dale Bonner powers the engine
The headlines go to Ohio State’s sophomore guards, and deservedly so. Thornton and Gayle both set career high scoring totals, with Thornton pouring in 29 points on 6 of 12 shooting while going 13 for 14 from the free-throw line and Gayle putting up 23 on 8 of 11 shooting. Thornton had four assists and Gayle had two, giving the duo a hand in 20 of Ohio State’s 27 field goals.
They did a lot. But they didn’t have to do everything, and for that they have Baylor transfer guard Dale Bonner to thank. In his most impactful game so far for the Buckeyes, Bonner played a season-high 26 minutes and had 9 points on 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range. It marked his second consecutive game with three 3-pointers after a 1 for 5 start to the season, but more importantly, he gave the Buckeyes another guard capable of handling the ball and taking some of the pressure off Thornton and Gayle.
On a night where the Buckeyes had 14 turnovers, Bonner had none of them.
“If we’re gonna beat good people, Dale has to play like that for us,” Holtmann said. “His speed, his pace, his ability to shoot the ball, he was dynamic today. He was really, really good. It’s what we’ve seen and why early in the year I was like, ‘This isn’t the Dale I recognize.’ I thought he was critical because he allowed those other two guards to take a rest from handling the ball, particularly Bruce.”
Bonner said his slow start to his lone year at Ohio State was part of getting used to his new team.
“Finding my role,” he said. “Getting back to things that I do well. Coach Holtmann and the coaches have been on me and challenging me at the same time and I’ve been trying to respond and just be myself at the end of the day and play with confidence.”
What were the coaches challenging him with?
“Play with high energy,” he said. “In a couple of our first games, they’re used to me being the fastest guy on the floor and they felt like I wasn’t really moving or doing what I do best and that’s just flying around, using my speed. I’ve been trying to respond with that and do what I do best.”
Did Ohio State’s game against Texas A&M give it an advantage against Alabama?
As the Crimson Tide put up such gaudy numbers in the first four games, they did so without dealing with much in the way of in-game adversity. Alabama’s four wins were by an average of 35.3 points. Collectively, it was hitting 48.9% from 3, the best mark in the nation, and was outrebounding opponents by an average of 15.8 per game.
The Buckeyes, conversely, took a seven-point home loss to No. 15 Texas A&M on Nov. 10 in the second game of the season and needed second-half surges to pull away from Oakland and Merrimack. Things hadn’t exactly come easily for the Buckeyes so far, and that might have played to their advantage as this one played out.
“You look at what they were doing to opponents, Indiana State’s a good team and they got ‘em pretty good,” Holtmann said of Alabama’s 102-80 win against the Sycamores. “The games weren’t even close. To some degree it benefitted us being in a close game and maybe it helped us because they hadn’t been in close games. We’ve been in a couple. I think there is a benefit to that when you have a couple tests early in the season.”
It might’ve helped the Buckeyes stick to their primary keys against the Tide. Knowing that Alabama wanted to both shoot and allow shots within about 12 seconds of a possession, Ohio State had to focus on not only extending Alabama’s offensive possessions but not taking rushed shots when it had the ball.
“We want to work the defense and try to get the best shot available, even if it’s turn down a good shot for a great one,” Bonner said. “That’s the mentality we have every time we step on the floor.”
Doing so required a maturity the Buckeyes hadn’t necessarily had to show yet this season.
“A second drive, we seen on film was where they break down,” Gayle said. “You get one dribble-drive, touch the paint, kick out and the second one is where we see they kind of fall apart. Guarding multiple possessions was where we knew they weren’t great at.”
Holtmann likened it to a slow drip that allowed Ohio State to steadily maintain and build its lead.
“I think the only way to beat a team like this is there is an element of frustration that has to happen for them,” he said. “You’ve got to take away their clean, early looks in the clock. You can strike early on them, too, but you also gotta make them guard at the other end some. I thought we were able to do that.”
Alabama finished 9 for 30 (30.0%) from 3, something Thornton pointed to as a key separator.
“Just really trying to pressure them on the 3-point line,” he said. “That’s what they really want a lot. Really got into them, make them drive, make sure they make the extra pass is something else. They really try to score in the first 10-12 seconds. Make sure we’re trying to run them off the line as best we can and we got the job done.”
Free throws were free (this time) for Ohio State
The charity stripe had been a bit of a mixed bag for the Buckeyes. After going 24 for 30 (80.0%) in the opener, the Buckeyes hit 58.8% against Texas A&M (10 for 17), 69.6% against Merrimack (16 for 23) and only 45.5% (5 for 11) against Western Michigan.
Then against Alabama, Ohio State made its first 14 and finished 28 for 30 (93.3%). In the final 10:16 of the game, Ohio State scored 21 of its final 31 points from the line.
“We shoot free throws every day in practice,” Thornton said. “That can really be a separator if you win or lose. We take free throws very seriously. That’s one of the reasons why we got the dub today.”
Bruce Thornton’s shot helps Buckeyes shake off slow start
The first minute did not exactly go well for Ohio State. On its first possession, Minnesota graduate transfer Jamison Battle lost the ball out of bounds on an unforced turnover. Twenty-four seconds later, Alabama’s Aaron Estrada stole the ball from Evan Mahaffey. And 52 seconds into the game, Gayle turned it over.
Three possessions. Three turnovers. And Alabama already led 6-0 – until Thornton calmly stepped into a 3-pointer on the left wing. After the Buckeyes endured that rocky start, Holtmann was asked what he said to settle his team.
“Nothing,” he said. “Sometimes when you’re playing in a highly charged emotional game, the worst thing you can do as a coach is get on them. We had a couple times we dribbled off our foot and kicked it out of bounds in the first four minutes. At that point, I’ve learned probably the hard way the worst thing you can do is get on your guys. They’re trying hard. Sometimes they’ve just got to slow down and somebody’s got to make a play.
“Bruce making that open 3, I think, gave us a little bit of a chance to relax.”
The turnovers eventually got better. Ohio State had 10 in the first half but finished with 14.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State still 'work in progress' after Alabama win: 5 takeaways
