Ohio State Buckeyes: NCAA Tournament opener has shootout potential

May the hottest hand win.

Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann is aware of that possibility but hopeful it won’t quite come to pass.

“I would hope that Duane is mature enough to understand that this is the tournament — you’re playing to win every possession,” Holtmann told reporters on a video conference Tuesday. “Playing to win, whatever that requires, but it certainly doesn’t require getting involved in a one-on-one battle. I think he’s mature enough to understand that. Would it be something we discuss? I’m not sure. I think Duane’s really grown in his ability to stay aggressive and yet also play the game the right way.”

Despite the emergence of sophomore forward E.J. Liddell as a force inside (and sometimes out), the Buckeyes still tend to go as Washington, their junior combo guard, goes.

Washington was magnificent most of the Big Ten Tournament last week, scoring 16 points against Minnesota, 20 against Purdue, 24 against Michigan and 32 against Illinois.

But just as significantly, Washington was not at his best for most of the previous four games, all Ohio State losses.

After an efficient and explosive 30 points in a narrow loss to Michigan on Feb. 21, he had only 44 points in the following three games, all losses as well to Michigan State, Iowa and Illinois.

For the season, Washington is averaging 16.3 points per game and shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point range. He was second on the team with 87 assists but led the squad with 64 turnovers and his shot selection can be an adventure at times.

“That’s something I’ve struggled with honestly,” Washington said Tuesday.

Although Steph Curry might have popularized popping off from 3-point range any time a talented shooter gets any space from a defender, such an opportunity can be both a blessing and a curse for a new generation of guards who came of age watching him with the Golden State Warriors.

Nowadays many coaches are more open-minded about letting that be part of the game of a player like Washington, but Holtmann still needs him to play a more a team-oriented game for the Buckeyes to be at their best.

That is a conversation Washington said he has frequently had with both his father, Duane Washington Sr., and OSU assistant Jake Diebler.

“We can always get off the 3, and I think working on it in practice and understanding what is settling and what’s not, taking what the defense gives you and getting what we want, those two things are different,” Washington said. “You’ve just got to focus and lock in a little bit more and be really locked into what you want to do in that game. Obviously sometimes you want to make plays. Always got to be aggressive, but just knowing time and score and time and place is what I’ve been working on and getting pretty good at.”

Friday when the second-seeded Buckeyes take the floor against 15th-seeded Oral Roberts, they will see essentially a college version of Curry.

Abmas leads the nation in scoring at 24.2 points per game and is 90 for 208 from 3-point range, a success rate of 43.3 percent.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound sophomore might be slight, but he is dangerous.

“He really can come across half court and raise up,” Holtmann said. “He shoots it with great accuracy. He shot 46 percent in league play. Those are phenomenal numbers. It is part of his game. He’s got the ability to raise up and shoot it. He’s got strong legs and he can shoot it from right across half court.”

So can Washington, who shares ball-handling duties with senior point guard CJ Walker, but Holtmann will hope he has bigger things on his mind most of the afternoon.

“We’re going to need him to really be on point defensively and continue to play smart, aggressive basketball,” Holtmann said of Washington. “He’s supremely confident as we all know. Sometimes that’s gotten him in trouble, and we’re all aware of that, too.”

Holtmann has seen a more focused Washington since he struggled late in the regular season, particularly in the closing minutes of a home loss to Illinois to close out the campaign.

“I think he felt on Senior Day he didn’t perform as well as he wanted to in the last four of five minutes and that motivated him coming into tournament time and now he’s got to stay consistent with that,” Holtmann said.

NCAA TOURNAMENT

Friday’s Game

Ohio State vs. Oral Roberts, 3 p.m., CBS, 1410