USATSI Ohio State desperately needed some offensive help Sunday as the No. 13 Buckeyes played at Nebraska in their first game since Dec. 11., and Malaki Branham provided plenty of it. The Buckeyes’ freshman guard poured in a career-high 35 points on 13 of 19 shooting, including a 6 of 10 mark from 3-point range, to propel OSU to an 87-79 overtime win against the Cornhuskers. The breakout performance from the former No. 38 prospect in the 2021 247Sports Composite rankings was enough to earn him this week’s CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week honors. With Nebraska negating Ohio State’s post stars E.J. Liddell and Zed Key and the Buckeyes working through conditioning issues following a long layoff, Branham’s perimeter prowess came through at the right time. “That’s a phenomenal effort by Malaki,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “We knew there were going to be some opportunities for other…
Continue Reading: College basketball freshman rankings: Ohio State's Malaki Branham earns Freshman of the Week honors
