Ohio State updates the status of two key playmakers ahead of first-round matchup
Ohio State is getting two key playmakers back for its first-round matchup against Loyola Chicago on Friday.
Forwards Kyle Young and Zed Key are both available for the first-round NCAA Tournament game, the Buckeyes announced ahead of the game. Those are some key reinforcements for Ohio State, which has lost four of its last five games after defeating Illinois Feb. 24.
Young and Key are two vital pieces for Ohio State. Young is third on the Ohio State roster with 8.2 points per game while Key is right behind him with 8.1 points per contest. They’re two of the Buckeyes’ leading shooters, making more than 50% of their shots from the floor this season.
Chris Holtmann previously declared them to be game-time decisions. Now, they’re back in the rotation as the No. 7-seeded Buckeyes take on the No. 10-seeded Ramblers Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS.
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Getting Young and Key back is huge for Ohio State because they can take some of the load of EJ Liddell and Malaki Branham. Liddell and Branham combine for 44.6% of the Buckeyes’ total points this season, and they’ll now have some help down low with Young and Key back in the rotation.
Key played seven minutes against Michigan as he comes back from an ankle injury, while Young hasn’t played since March 1 as he comes back from a concussion.
Loyola Chicago, the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion, entered Friday ranked No. 23 in KenPom, eight spots above Ohio State at No. 31. The Ramblers bring a high-powered offense and a staunch defense to the big dance, led by senior guard Lucas Williamson, the back-to-back MVC Defensive Player of the Year.
The darlings of the 2018 NCAA Tournament when they made the Final Four, the Ramblers defeated another Big Ten team in last year’s tournament. They knocked off No. 1 seed Illinois in the second round en route to a Sweet Sixteen appearance, meaning this isn’t totally uncharted territory. With plenty of experience on the roster, Loyola Chicago could be quite a matchup for Ohio State.