Ohio State learned a lot about itself in a season-opening win against Akron, maybe more than the No. 17 Buckeyes had anticipated. The Buckeyes have little time to absorb the totality of those lessons with another game Friday, this time with Niagara in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes (1-0) squandered a 14-point first-half lead Tuesday and needed a layup by Zed Key in the last second to defeat the underdog Zips, 67-66. What the Buckeyes learned is that the offense struggles without forward E.J. Liddell in the game. They also learned freshman guard Malaki Branham is as cool under pressure as his billing would portend. Liddell had a game-high 25 points, one off the junior forward’s career high, in 30 minutes of court time. He was a plus-4, second on the team to Branham’s plus-10. Liddell picked up his third foul early in the second half and at one stretch was…
Continue Reading: No. 17 Ohio State hardened by buzzer-beater; Niagara up next
