Scarlet Sunrise: Jamison Battle's free throw marathon critical in second-round NIT win

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Jamison Battle’s free throw marathon critical in second-round NIT win

More than half of Ohio State’s second-half points came at the free throw line. And more than half of those free throws came from Jamison Battle.

Battle was 16-of-16 from the charity stripe in the second half of the 2-seed Buckeyes’ second-round NIT win over 3-seed Virginia Tech Saturday night in the Schottenstein Center. The fifth-year grad transfer finished the night 17-of-18 from the line in the 81-73 triumph. As a team, Ohio State was 29-of-32 from the line, including 26-of-28 in the second half.

Battle’s 17 total free throws are tied for the second most by an Ohio State player in a single game. The last Buckeyes player to make that many free throws was Dennis Hopson on Feb. 12, 1987, at Wisconsin. Gary Bradds holds the single-game program record with 18 free throws at Michigan State on Jan. 27, 1964.

But Battle now has the most free throws in a single game by any Ohio State player at home.

“I mean, it’s just repetition,” Battle said, when asked postgame about how he doesn’t overthink at the line with so many trips. “There’s things that you just work on, there’s a confidence I have in myself because of all the reps I’ve put in. It’s just, you gotta stay focused, you gotta stay locked in because in the end you gotta make free throws. I think that’s ultimately what helped us today.

“Especially after last game, missing three, that’s out of character for me. So I had to respond, and it’s something we worked on in practice, and it’s something that we just do. It’s just staying focused and honed in.”

Battle is shooting 92.6% from the free throw line this season. That clip is tops in the Big Ten and tied for sixth nationally. He’s missed only seven free throws all year, and, as he alluded to, three of those seven came in a first-round NIT victory against Cornell Tuesday night.

“I just always take a deep breath, that’s really it,” said Battle, who also notched a double-double with 10 rebounds in the win. “I go through my same free throw routine, it’s just natural. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing too crazy.”

Battle’s poise at the line down the stretch was just one part of the equation. He wouldn’t have put himself in that position without him drawing as many fouls as he did against the Hokies.

The 6-foot-7 wing attempted just 30 free throws in his first 22 games with the Buckeyes. He’s attempted 65 free throws in the last 12 games. In four of those 12 games, he’s had at least nine tries at the stripe.

“His ability to get fouled, I think he’s grown in that significantly, specifically the end of the season,” head coach Jake Diebler said. “He really struggled to get to the free throw line the first half of the season.”

Ohio State endured two field goal droughts of at least three and a half minutes in the second half, the second of which went 4:16 and saw Virginia Tech make it a one-possession game. Battle, who had just two field goals all night, made eight total free throws over those two dry spells.

He then iced the game with his final four free throws in the game’s last 30 seconds.

“You feel like the ball’s going in every time he’s there,” Diebler said. “We designed some press breaks to get the ball into his hands, so he could get to the free throw line. He played with great force the last five, six minutes of the game when we struggled to make some shots, and he was able to get in there and put a ton of pressure on their defense.

“When teams put smaller guys on them, he’s able to get into the paint and shoot over them and make them foul him. And then when they put bigger guys on him, he’s able to get loose that way, too. He’s a matchup problem for teams, and we’ve been able to take advantage of it.”

Ohio State advances to NIT quarterfinals, will now play Georgia or Wake Forest

It wasn’t always pretty, except it got the job done: Ohio State didn’t score in the first three-plus minutes and endured two field goal droughts north of three and a half minutes in the second half, except the 2-seed Buckeyes still beat 3-seed Virginia Tech in the second round of the NIT, 81-73.

Defense and free throw shooting helped Ohio State reach the finish line. Five Buckeyes players finished in double figures. Battle led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Dale Bonner chipped in 12 points and five boards off the bench.

Ohio State will play the winner of 1-seed Wake Forest versus 4-seed Georgia. If Wake wins Sunday, the Buckeyes will head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. If Georgia wins, Ohio State will host the Bulldogs.

Either way, the quarterfinal matchup will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

For the full game story, go here.

Ohio State’s Celeste Taylor set for Duke reunion in Round of 32

The Buckeyes women’s team will face Duke at noon in the Schottenstein Center. It’s a 2-seed, 7-seed matchup in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32.

It’s also a reunion for Ohio State’s Celeste Taylor, who played her previous two seasons at Duke.

“I’m still close with a lot of them there, so it’s no bad blood there,” Taylor said of Duke Friday after an NCAA Tournament-opening win over 15-seed Maine. “But honestly, you treat it like any other game, another competition. Obviously, people would assume there’d be high emotions.

“For me, it’s just another competitor on the court. Because, at the same time, I go against my teammates in practice all the time, so, for me, it’s just nice to see some familiar faces. It will be really exciting.”

Get the full story here.

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 160 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 251 days

Are you a Lettermen Row member yet?

Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on X, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.