You’re Nuts: Which B1G basketball player has been the biggest pain in the a$! to the Buckeyes?

In the words of Eminem, guess who’s back? Well, it’s us. We are back. Connor Lemons and Justin Golba, Land-Grant Holy Land’s resident BucketHeads (check out our podcast), and we are here to debate another semi meaningless topic once again.

It’s been tough for Justin, who has not won as many times as Connor. and the bleeding continued. Although, Connor didn't win either. This week, the option of “other” barely squeaked out a win over Connor and Justin brought up the caboose pretty comfortably.

“Other” won with 38 votes (42%) and Connor’s homer pick of EJ Liddell got 37 votes (41%). Hate to see it. Justin’s accurate pick of Trayce Jackson-Davis received 16 votes (18%), 10 of those likely from his mother.

After 10 weeks

Connor- 5
Justin- 2
Other- 2

(Four weeks ago there was a tie)

As we move into another week, Connor holds a three-week lead on Justin 5-2, while “other” has won two weeks. “Other” is officially as smart as Justin.

This week, we are talking about players that have given Ohio State the most trouble that are still currently with their team. So before you yell at us about someone who played in the 70’s, this person still has to be in college. Basically, it’s the player that the Buckeyes are circling on the schedule this year.

As always, if you agree with one of us, let us know in the comments below, or respond on Twitter! We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic in particular, or anything Ohio State-hoops related!

Today’s Question: Which (current) B1G basketball player has been the biggest pain in the ass to the Buckeyes?

Connor’s pick: Trevion Williams

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

This one felt like a no-brainer. At 6-foot-10 and nearly 270 pounds, Williams has been giving Ohio State problems below the basket for three years now, and we’ve still got one more season of him. He was a huge thorn in Ohio State’s side last season, averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds per contest over three games. For his career, he averages 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and three assists per game when he faces the Buckeyes.

Why does Ohio State struggle so much against him, especially recently? Well, it’s not rocket science, the man is big as hell. He has no outside game and can’t shoot free throws to save his life, but Williams demands at least two defenders every time the ball is in his hands. As time has gone on, he’s improved as a passer, making it a riskier play to double team the Purdue big man. This was put on full display during Ohio State’s road loss to Purdue last season, when Williams came one rebounds and two assists shy of a triple double. He finished the game with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Additionally, Williams is (indirectly) the reason Ohio State lost to Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament. Kyle Young took an errant Williams elbow to the head during the Buckeyes’ Big Ten Tournament win over Purdue, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion — his second in four weeks. Multiple concussions is nothing to mess with, so Young wound up missing the final few games of the season, including Ohio State’s historic tournament loss.

Ohio State struggled to penetrate ORU’s interior defense, often times settling for deep three-pointers. The Buckeyes shot 21.7% from deep that day on 23 attempts, but they simply couldn’t get the ball inside and score on Kevin Obanor. Obanor had a field day on the other end, scoring 30 points while also pulling down 11 rebounds. Young wouldn’t have single handedly stopped Obanor, but he absolutely would’ve helped. And while it’s impossible to know for sure, I do think that a healthy Kyle Young could have made at least a three-point difference, which was the margin of defeat on March 19.

Does Ohio State have the personnel to handle Williams this season? Probably not! Joey Brunk is the biggest man on Ohio State’s roster, but he’ll be a part-time player this season. Neither Young nor Zed Key are big enough to handle Williams on their own, either. The bottom line is that Williams has elevated his passing and defense to a point where his inability to shoot a basketball doesn’t matter all that much — his inside game is so clean that it’s the only tool he needs. And if you want to send the whole brigade after him, he’ll pass out to an open Jaden Ivey or Sasha Stefanovic for an open jumper.

Trevion Williams is 265 pounds of trouble for Ohio State, and I don’t see it changing until he runs out of college eligibility.

Justin’s pick: Hunter Dickinson

Mayne one day I will win. Maybe I won’t. I’ll never stop predicting and debating things though. Let’s roll.

For my pick of guys, I would be happy to never see again, I am going with a guy I actually thought I would never see again. Michigan rising sophomore center Hunter Dickinson.

The 7-foot-2 Dickinson had a solid freshman season for the Wolverines, averaging 14 points per game and almost eight rebounds per game, shooting an efficient 60% from the field.

Dickinson decided to enter his name into the 2021 NBA draft after the season ended and personally, I thought he was going to stay in the draft and see where he or who he fell too, but he decided to come back to Michigan for at least one more season to refine his skills and work on his weaknesses.

Whether you like him or not, this is bad news for Ohio State. Last season, the Wolverines and the Buckeyes faced off two separate times. In the first matchup, Dickinson had 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

In the second matchup, Dickinson recorded 21 points and eight rebounds on 9-for-14 shooting from the field. He also managed to stay out of foul trouble in both contests. The best ability is availability and he did not hurt that either time that they played with silly fouls. Mainly because, he didn’t have too.

Dickinson has only faced Ohio State twice, but he was a force to be reckoned with in both of the matchups. The main stat that sticks out is the efficiency of his offensive play. In both games combined, he shot 71% from the field and seemingly got his shot at will on the massively undersized Buckeyes.

Here’s the issue for the Buckeyes. Not much of that will change this season.

Kyle Young and EJ Liddell are still there and as good as they are, they are still undersized compared to Dickinson. The Buckeyes did bring in Indiana transfer and big man Joey Brunk, but his minutes likely won’t rival those of Dickinson, so Dickinson will have his way when Brunk is out.

Dickinson is a guy who also stepped up in big moments for the Wolverines.

He had a solid NCAA tournament against some great competition and he is poised for a huge season.

Last year, they only played Michigan once in the regular season, but this year they will see them and Dickinson at least twice in the regular season. They will have to get creative with him on defense or he could be an absolute nightmare for Chris Holtmann and company.