Duane Washington Jr.’s Efficiency Couldn’t Carry Buckeyes against Minnesota

Washington Jr. had his most efficient night shooting the ball but his performance was not enough to lift the Buckeyes to the victory.

Having a balanced offense has been one of the benchmarks of Ohio State’s 2020-2021 season. The team’s three leading scorers are all within 3.4 points of each other’s average.

However, that was not the case in the Buckeyes’ 77-60 loss to No. 21 Minnesota as, overall, the offense struggled, shooting just 31.1 percent from the floor.

Duane Washington Jr. was the one bright spot on an otherwise dull night in Minneapolis as he had his most efficient performance of the 2020 season. The junior guard finished with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a 5-for-7 clip from behind the three-point line.

“I thought Duane was good offensively, made good decisions for the most part,” Coach Chris Holtmann said. “I thought they made him an important point and focus but I thought, for the most part, he took good shots. … Good step forward for him.”

His previous-high shooting percentage came in Wednesday’s game against Nebraska when he shot 45.5 percent from the floor (5-for-11).

Buckeyes Bothered by Minnesota’s Physicality

Basketball is a team sport, though, and Washington Jr. wouldn’t focus on his singular performance in the face of a loss.

“There’s a lot of things that we could have done better on the offensive side and defensive side,” Washington Jr. said postgame. “But I think that we just didn’t come out with enough fight. We dug ourselves in a deep hole and, really early, it took a lot of energy to get out of it. It’s hard to keep up that energy after you’ve put yourself in a hole. I think we’re going to learn from this for sure.”

The Buckeyes will need Washington Jr. to continue his efficient shooting throughout the rest of the season, especially to keep pace in the nation’s deepest conference.

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