Ohio State, Campbell each taking pride in defense

Fresh off a defensive masterpiece against Evansville, Ohio State will try to impose its will again when it hosts Campbell on Friday in Columbus.

The Buckeyes (3-1) routed visiting Evansville 80-30 on Tuesday, outscoring the Purple Aces 52-16 in the second half.

It was the fewest points allowed by the Buckeyes since a 59-22 home win over Samford on Nov. 29, 2008.

"We were consistently good defensively against a team that I think has some really good players and some good offensive firepower," Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. "I was impressed with that.

"I thought it showed great maturity and connectiveness for our team. There is a lot of newness in the program. But I've been impressed with how connected we have been defensively."

Campbell (3-2) will present its own defensive mindset that resulted in an 86-66 road win over Navy on Sunday.

"The consistent on-ball pressure has a way of keeping teams out of rhythm," Campbell coach Kevin McGeehan.

The Fighting Camels are forcing opponents into 17.8 turnovers per game by going deep into the bench to bring the effort the coach wants.

"There's not much drop-off," McGeehan said. "There's a little bit of a learning curve for us as far as rotation and what's working and how we can use guys in different spots right now, which is natural with any team at the beginning of the year.

"As far as the ability to execute the plan, the ability to bring the defensive fervor and intensity to the situation and establishing our identity defensively, it's a plus."

Campbell will meet three power-conference teams in a season for the first time since 2011-12. The Fighting Camels lost 65-56 at Virginia on Nov. 6 and play at North Carolina on Dec. 29.

McGeehan likes the challenges in facing these programs.

"These teams are all physical and tough, and we want to sharpen ourselves and test ourselves again and again and again so we're the team that is imposing that on someone else when we need it the most," he said.

Jasin Sinani is the only Campell player averaging double figures with 11.6 points per game. He also leads the team with 5.2 rebounds and 28.8 minutes per game.

The Buckeyes have three players averaging double figures: Bruce Thornton (13.8), John Mobley Jr. (13.5) and Devin Royal (10.5). Royal also is pulling down a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game, while Thornton is dishing five assists per contest.

--Field Level Media