Ohio State freshman guard Malaki Branham had the best performance of his young career on Sunday night, scoring 35 points to lead the Buckeyes to an 87-79 overtime win at Nebraska.
It was the most points scored by an Ohio State freshman in more than 11 years, which garnered him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. It was also the type of performance he expects from himself on a daily basis.
“I didn’t surprise myself at all,” Branham said during his media availability on Wednesday afternoon. “I know what I can do, so it was just good hitting shots.”
Branham – whose previous career-high was 11 points – is easily the most decorated player to come to Ohio State under head coach Chris Holtmann, as he won a pair of state titles and was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball following his senior season at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
He’s nowhere near the player he needs to be if the Buckeyes are going to compete for a Big Ten championship and make noise in the NCAA Tournament, though. That’s why he could be seen working out at Value City Arena at 3 a.m. while the rest of the program was on pause due to a coronavirus outbreak that led to the cancellation of three games last month.
“He’s always a guy who is going to get up in the morning and get shots in, so we weren’t surprised that he was going to have a breakout game like that,” fifth-year senior guard Jamari Wheeler said. “It was just a matter of time. You keep putting that hard work in, that hard work is going to pay off at the end of the day.”
Wheeler also played a big role in Sunday’s win by hitting a pair of three-pointers in the overtime session. However, he would much rather dish the ball to an open Branham when he’s shooting like he was against the Cornhuskers, as he finished 13-of-19 from the floor and 6-of-10 from three-point range.
“It gets us going, especially for me because I’m trying to find him and get my assists because I know he’s going knock it down,” Wheeler said. “I love when I see our players knock down shots because I’m going to look for him even more.”
Ohio State heads to Indiana on Thursday night (7 p.m. on FS1) to take on the Hoosiers, who are 10-3 on the season, including 9-0 at home. It’s perhaps one of the best home-court advantages in the Big Ten, and Branham know he’ll need another big game in order for the Buckeyes come away with the victory.
“Just keep being consistent and keep showing that I can score the ball at a high level each and every night that we play,” Branham said. “Not trying to force it and just play my game.
“It was a big game, but we have to focus on (Indiana).”
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