Prior to Tuesday night's thrashing of Purdue, Ohio State was widely regarded as a very good basketball team but not necessarily a great one. Now, following a dominating performance on a big stage, the Buckeyes are the clear favorite to capture the national championship.
Thad Matta's squad, as the above title would lead you to believe, did indeed play a perfect game, or pretty darn close to it. OSU went on an early 16-3 run, and, with the raucous student section (a.k.a. The Nut House) losing its collective mind, the Buckeyes raced out to a stunning 20-point halftime lead. Ohio State extended that lead to 31 in the 2nd half before Matta called off the dogs, ending the Boilermakers' misery.
William Buford (19 points), Jared Sullinger (17 pts.), Jon Diebler (13 pts.), Deshaun Thomas (13 pts.), Aaron Craft (11 pts.), and David Lighty (10 pts.) all scored in double figures in what was truly a complete team effort.
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| Aaron Craft sparked OSU's win |
Even though there was a plethora of stars for the Buckeyes, Craft stood out from all the rest. In addition to his 11 points, the freshman point guard dished out 6 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. However, the stats do not tell the whole story because Craft's ability to manage the game, something that does not show up in the box score, was the primary reason for Ohio State's success.
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue's standout center, scored 22, and he may have been the best player on the floor despite his team's dismal showing.
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