From a decision-making standpoint, this hadn’t been the strongest game of the season for John Mobley Jr. Credited with two turnovers, the Ohio State sophomore guard finished with a season-low two assists while missing all five of his shot attempts from inside the 3-point line. His 9 points were also a season-low.
But down one with the ball and 23.8 seconds to play, Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler drew up a play for the go-ahead bucket. He wanted the ball in Mobley’s hands. When things got a little discombobulated, it was the sophomore who made the right read, got the ball to Christoph Tilly, and celebrated when Tilly’s driving, left-handed layup with 13 seconds left gave Ohio State (4-0) a 64-63 win against Notre Dame (3-1) in front of 12,357 fans at Value City Arena. It was the biggest play of the game.
“He’s not just a scorer,” Diebler said. “He can read the game. He made a great read. This isn’t the first time he’s done that.”
When the Buckeyes inbounded the ball, Mobley probed the right side of the mid-range and picked his head up, spotting Tilly with an advantage back upcourt and to his left. Mobley slotted the pass to the big man who, after one dribble, lofted a left-handed layup over Notre Dame’s Carson Towt and Garrett Sundra. The ball banked off the glass and through for the ninth and final lead change of the game.
Asked if that was how the play was drawn up, Tilly gave a succinct “no” before explaining how he saw the play progress.
“It was for Juni, but he made the right read,” Tilly, who had 18 points on only eight shots, said. “Then I just drove the ball and made a layup.”
It might have been more than that. After Ohio State narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament last season, partly due to a 4-5 record in one-possession games, the Buckeyes clawed out their first such victory this season in what proved to be their first true test of the year. Ohio State had taken down three mid-major foes entering the Notre Dame game and now improves to 4-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Diebler mentioned that Mobley was a little delayed coming off the initial screen, which threw off the timing of the play somewhat. The hope was that his offensive gravity would help create a potential driving lane for senior guard Bruce Thornton. But when the Fighting Irish didn’t leave Mobley or Thornton open, it created an advantage for the 7-foot, 240-pound center, who drew a game-high 10 fouls.
“That one, Juni put pressure on [his defender],” Diebler said. “He started to see a crowd, made a great read, and Tilly had an advantage and he read it perfect.”
The game wasn’t over yet. Notre Dame, with timeouts available, still had the final look. Instead of allowing Ohio State to set up its defense, Fighting Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry opted to let preseason first-team all-ACC guard Markus Burton try to make something happen.
The game ended when Burton had to fire a 3-pointer over Tilly’s outstretched arm, finishing a 3-for-14 afternoon for Notre Dame’s leading scorer.
“They had their offensive group in,” Shrewsberry said. “You’re probably going to get a better shot versus an un-set defense. If we call a timeout, they get set and now they can be ready for whatever. We got a switch. It was a good shot. Good look. Might have been a better look than if we called a timeout and tried to run something.”
Ohio State was able to celebrate a one-point win at home against a high-major team. The Buckeyes now play two more mid-major games before heading to Pitt on Nov. 28 in a rematch of last year’s overtime thriller, when the Panthers won 91-90 at Value City Arena.
“Big time players make big-time plays,” Thornton said. “Coach can scheme something up but us guys on the court, our teammates have to make those things happen. I’ve got the most ultimate trust for anybody to make that last shot that Tilly made.”
### Three Takeaways from Ohio State’s Win Against Notre Dame
**1. Ohio State Can Win a Game Like This**
Statistically, this was the kind of game the Buckeyes likely would not have won last season. Ohio State finished with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 95.9 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom.com. Not only was this its lowest mark of the season so far, but it would have been the eighth-worst offensive showing of the 2024-25 season.
That year, Ohio State lost all nine games it played with an adjusted offensive efficiency rating lower than 101 points per 100 possessions. When Ohio State was below 110 points per 100 possessions, it was 1-13 during a season in which the Buckeyes finished 17-15.
So how did Ohio State hold on despite an offense that sputtered for stretches and flat-out misfired in others? Its adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 94.4 points per 100 possessions would have been its fifth-best mark last season. This year, it is already Ohio State’s third-highest through four games.
At halftime, Notre Dame led 34-31 while shooting 58.3% from the field. In the second half, the Buckeyes held the Fighting Irish to 37.0% from the floor.
The reasons for that depend on who is answering. Diebler pointed to his team playing too close to their men on the perimeter, which gave Notre Dame driving advantages they consistently exploited. After detailing some halftime adjustments, Diebler said this team’s collective basketball IQ allowed the Buckeyes to implement those changes effectively and disrupt Notre Dame’s offense in the second half.
However, Shrewsberry noted that Notre Dame missed several wide-open layups, including a miss by Sir Mohammad on the opening possession of the second half.
“Sir Mohammad missed a wide-open layup to start the second half that didn’t have anything to do with their defense,” Shrewsberry said. “I think it maybe was concentration to make some of those. They play really hard defense. Bruce Thornton’s a really good defender and he’s physical and makes it tough. Gabe Cupps does the same, he makes it tough on you. I felt like some guys rushed a little bit.”
**2. Devin Royal Was Quietly Impactful in His Return**
Had this game been played on the date Ohio State hosted Appalachian State, Devin Royal might not have been in the lineup. The junior wing sat out the 75-53 win against the Mountaineers due to a hip injury but returned to the starting lineup against the Irish.
Royal finished with 7 points and a team-high six rebounds in 32:26 of play.
“I don’t know if he’s feeling good right now, but he was feeling good going into the game,” Diebler said. “He’s done a great job to put himself in position. I asked him multiple times throughout the game if he needed one off. I trust him. He plays with a physicality. We’re more physical when he’s on the floor. I love that about him.
“I’m sure he’s sore. I’m sure probably right now he’s already seeing our trainer. He’ll be in recovery mode the rest of the day.”
**3. Free Throws Are Key for This Team**
At halftime, Tilly had scored 4 points — 1 for 4 from the field, 2 for 2 from the free-throw line, and 0 for 2 on 3-pointers. In 14:22 before halftime, he had drawn just one foul and committed two.
In the second half, Tilly exploded for 14 points thanks to an 8-for-11 effort from the free-throw line while drawing nine fouls. Ohio State finished 19 for 23 from the line compared to Notre Dame’s 12 for 20.
“I was not doing that in the first half enough,” Tilly said about driving to the basket with physicality. “I had to adjust that at halftime. I was telling myself to be physical and finish through contact and not try to get fouled, just focus on my finishes. Then the fouls, they were just coming. I felt like I was in a good spot and every time I caught a ball I was trying to read and progress because I knew if I did my thing something good was going to happen.”
Ohio State drew 21 fouls and committed 16. Notre Dame’s leading scorer Markus Burton, who had 14 points, was only 3 for 14 from the floor but went 8 for 9 from the line while drawing five fouls.
“It’s a choice of whether it’s called or not,” Shrewsberry said. “We had three really good officials. Thought they were great, but [Tilly] caught it and drove it and he got fouls called. We caught it and drove it, sometimes we did and sometimes we didn’t. That’s the game. That’s it in a nutshell right there.
“This game was free throws and layups.”
Ohio State was officially 6 for 8 on layups. The Buckeyes rank No. 34 nationally in percentage of points coming from the free-throw line at 27.1%. They are also No. 9 in free-throw rate.
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Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at [@cdadamjardy.bsky.social](https://bsky.social/cdadamjardy), or on Twitter at [@AdamJardy](https://twitter.com/AdamJardy).
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