Ohio State Associate Head Coach Jake Diebler Previews Indiana
In early January, Ohio State held a 10-3 record and a No. 24 national ranking. The Buckeyes even had No. 1 Purdue on the ropes, but gave up a costly bucket in the final moments. That loss ignited a five-game losing streak, which has now turned into six losses in Ohio State's last seven contests.
Desperate for a win, the Buckeyes hit the road to face surging Indiana team that has won four games in a row. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
In anticipation of this matchup, Ohio State associate head coach Jake Diebler discussed Trayce Jackson-Davis strong play, Zed Key dealing with injury in recent games and the Hoosiers' supporting cast that has stepped up.
Here's what Diebler said.
On Trayce Jackson-Davis...
Diebler: He's been on quite a stretch, and I think his impact on both sides of the ball just has continued to get better throughout the course of his career. And obviously he's had a long career there, and I think when you take a really talented player who has an opportunity to grow and progress over an extended period of time, this is what you can get. There's a great deal of benefit for him and Indiana at the same time. But his shot blocking and defensive ability to switch on the perimeter at times, his defensive instincts I think have really grown and it's impressive. Obviously he's finishing at a really high level right now. His athleticism, he uses it very consistently to be impactful on both sides of the ball. I think he's one of the better players in the country, not just one of the very best players in this league, and he's certainly got a lot of momentum right now.
On Zed Key dealing with injury, recent struggles...
Diebler: Yeah I think there's certainly – Zed's banged up and there's certainly, he's dealing with some injuries and I think that's absolutely affected his efficiency. You kind of look over the course of his career, I don't think he's ever gone through a stretch like he has recently. I think he deserves a ton of credit because he's a tough kid. He worked really, really hard to get back as quickly as he could. I think it's only a matter of time before he gets back to being the Zed we know he can be. But part of going through an injury or coming back from an injury is it's not always the practice time you miss, but it's not being able to do some of the skill work and things, your daily routine is different and that's impacted that as well for him. I think he's continuing to get stronger, get better and get healthier, and I would anticipate things to kind of improve for him in the efficiency area as he continues do to that. But yeah, without question it's affected him.
On other Hoosiers stepping up...
Diebler: The two freshmen have been playing at a high level for them. I think [Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau] are good players, saw them a lot at the backend of their high school careers and certainly anticipated them to be good players for them. That's helped, and then they've got some veteran wing and perimeter players that are having good years and that have been consistent for them. They have a great deal of depth. I think a guy like Trey Galloway is having a great year, he's having a great year. Miller Kopp, you know, and [Tamar] Bates is certainly coming into his own a little more, so they've got depth across the board both in the front court and back court. They're playing well right now, they're confident and they've got some momentum, so that stuff can certainly become contagious for guys. But their depth is a strength for them absolutely.
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