Ohio State Men's Basketball: Thomas Sparks OSU to Easy Victory

2-27-11     vs. Indiana     W, 82-61     27-2

     Events were not working in Ohio State's favor during the early portions of Sunday's game against the Hoosiers.  Jared Sullinger was sidelined 6 minutes into the contest due to foul trouble, and Indiana, a team well below the .500 mark, was giving OSU some problems.

     Enter Deshaun Thomas.

Thomas scored 22 as OSU rolled

     The 6'-6" forward scored 16 1st half points, including 14 consecutively, as the Buckeyes built up an insurmountable 38-23 halftime advantage.  Thomas eventually compiled 22 points, signaling the end of what had been a tough month of February for the young Buckeye.

     IU knocked down 6 3-pointers in the 2nd half but failed to make a serious comeback.

     Verdale Jones III led Indiana with 14 points even though he played a mere 24 minutes.

     William Buford chipped in 15 points to support Thomas, and, despite a season-low scoring output from Sullinger (5 points, 7 rebounds), Ohio State blew the Hoosiers out of Value City Arena.

Ohio State Men's Basketball: Home Cookin': Buckeyes Overwhelm Illinois

2-22-11     vs. Illinois     W, 89-70     26-2

     A Value City Arena sell-out crowd of 18,085 served up some home cookin' for the road-weary Buckeyes, and Ohio State feasted on the hapless Fighting Illini.

     Jon Diebler's buzzer beating 3-pointer capped off an exciting 1st half that saw the Buckeyes race out to a 47-32 lead.

     The 2nd half quickly turned into the David Lighty show.  Lighty scored 13 consecutive points to halt an Illinois comeback, and the senior guard finished the game with 21 points in addition to his 6 steals on the defensive end of the floor.

     The 2nd stanza may have belonged to Lighty, but the 1st 20 minutes were all about William Buford.  Buford recovered from a tough Sunday afternoon in West Lafayette by pouring in 17 points, all of which came before the intermission.

     Although he played 2nd fiddle to Lighty and Buford, Jared Sullinger was still able to compile a double-double - 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Lighty records 1 of his 6 steals

    Illinois shot a staggering 51.9% from the floor and 52.4% beyond the arc, but the Illini were doomed by their inability to handle the basketball.  OSU forced 16 turnovers, leading to numerous fast break opportunities.

     The play of Demetri McCamey perfectly exemplifies Illinois' performance as a whole.  McCamey did score 15 points, but he also committed 5 giveaways.

Ohio State Men's Basketball: Moore, Purdue Avenge Loss in Columbus

2-20-11     at Purdue     L,76-63     25-2

     Using an 87-64 loss in Columbus on January 25th as motivation, the Purdue Boilermakers fed off a raucous Mackey Arena crowd and posted an impressive win over a suddenly reeling Ohio State team.

     The primary reason for the 36-point turnaround between the 2 games was E'Twaun Moore.  Moore, the Boilermakers' senior shooting guard, scored a career-high 38 points, and his stretch of 13 consecutive points at the end of the 1st half swung the momentum to Purdue.

Moore reacts after scoring 3 of his 38 points

     The Boilers' stingy defense forced 18 turnovers and never allowed Ohio State to enter into any offensive rhythm, especially following halftime.

     Even though Purdue largely dominated the 2nd stanza, the Buckeyes were still able to pull within 4 at the game's 2:37 mark.  However, the Boilermakers closed the contest on an 11-2 run, much to the delight of the 14,123 fans in attendance.

     One of the keys to Purdue's surprising victory was Ohio State's foul trouble.  William Buford and Jared Sullinger each missed large portions of the 1st half due to early foul difficulties, and Dallas Lauderdale had more fouls (4) than points (0) and rebounds (2) combined.

     What went right for the Buckeyes can be summed up in 1 compound sentence.  Jon Diebler broke the Big Ten's career 3-point record, and Sullinger scored 25 points.    
     Despite the defeat, OSU still leads Purdue by 1 win in the conference standings.



Ohio State Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Bounce Back

2-15-11     vs. Michigan State     W, 71-61     25-1

     The struggling Michigan State Spartans proved to be the perfect remedy for an Ohio State team coming off its 1st loss of the season.

     The Spartans, a pre-season Final Four favorite, refused to yield without a fight, but, in the end, the Buckeyes' decided talent advantage won out.

     William Buford's 23-point barrage led all scorers, and it was the junior guard's uncanny scoring ability that sparked Ohio State to a key, 10-2 run early in the 2nd half.

Buford scored 23 to lead OSU

     Buford was forced to step up because of Jared Sullinger's foul difficulties.  Sullinger picked up 2 quick fouls in the 1st half and was never able to establish a rhythm on either end of the floor.  He finished the night with 11 points and only 2 rebounds.

     Even though Sullinger had one of his poorest collegiate games, his fellow freshman, Aaron Craft, did not.  The heady point guard recorded his usual stat line: 7 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds, and he also produced a game-changing play at the 5:51 mark of the 2nd half.  With MSU trailing, 58-53, Craft sprinted into the Spartans' backcourt to chase down an errant pass before flipping in a reverse layup while drawing a foul.  Craft completed the stunning 3-point play, taking all the air out of Michigan State's proverbial sails, and the Buckeyes coasted to the victory.     

     Kalin Lucas, the 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year, scored 14 to lead his team in a losing effort. 



Ohio State Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Stumble in Madison

2 - 12 - 11     at Wisconsin     L, 71-67     24 - 1

     All good things must come to an end, and, on Saturday afternoon, Ohio State's 24-game winning streak evaporated inside the hostile Kohl Center.

     The Buckeyes trailed nearly the entire 1st half, but David Lighty's off-balance layup at the buzzer gave OSU a 28-26 lead.

     The momentum swing created by Lighty's buzzer beater carried over into the 2nd half as Ohio State built up a 15-point advantage.  However, that lead did not last long.  Wisconsin swiftly went on a 15-0 run to tie the score at 47, setting the stage for a frenetic finish.

     The Badgers eventually gained control in the closing minutes, and, despite a valiant effort from the Buckeyes, Wisconsin held on for the victory.

     Jordan Taylor's 21 2nd half points keyed the home team's stunning comeback, and Mike Bruesewitz, an unsung hero if there ever was one, tallied 12 points, including several important baskets in the contest's waning moments.

     Jared Sullinger (19 points, 12 rebounds) and William Buford (21 pts.) led OSU, but both performances paled in comparison to Taylor's.

     Ohio State now needs to regroup because a national championship is still a very real possibility.



Taylor's 27 points led to this post-game celebration



Ohio State Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Too Much For Short-Handed Gophers

2 - 6 - 11     at Minnesota     W, 82-69     24 - 0

     Playing without their starting point guard, Al Nolen, the Minnesota Golden Gophers simply could not keep pace with Ohio State as the top-ranked Buckeyes rolled to a 24th consecutive victory.

     The adverse effects of Nolen's injury were clearly evident in the game's box score.  The Gophers turned the basketball over a startling 19 times, a statistic largely attributable to Nolen's absence.

     Ohio State, though, experienced no such offensive problems due to the fact that all 5 starters - Dallas Lauderdale, Jared Sullinger, David Lighty, Jon Diebler, and William Buford - scored in double figures.

Lighty's 19 points led OSU

      Lighty's 19 points led all scorers, and the senior guard's electric 1st half play sparked OSU to an 8-point lead at the intermission.
     The story of the 2nd half can be summed up in two words: Jared Sullinger.  The ridiculously talented freshman tallied 18 points, 12 of which were scored after halftime, and he also secured 13 rebounds.  It was Sully's 11th double-double.    
     Thanks to Sullinger and his cohorts, Minnesota never mounted a serious rally in the final 20 minutes of action.

    

      

Ohio State Men's Basketball: Buckeyes Best Rival Michigan

2 - 3 - 11     vs. Michigan     W, 62-53     23 - 0

      With Ohio State trailing, 30-24, at the 17:35 mark of the 2nd half, an eerie silence fell over the capacity crowd that had packed into the Value City Arena a few hours earlier.  Michigan was on a 30-17 run, and the Buckeyes appeared to be sleepwalking through an important conference game.  However, the Wolverines' 6-point lead proved to be their high-water mark as OSU stormed back to salvage its undefeated record and number 1 ranking.

     This is not exactly breaking news, but Jared Sullinger was once again the Buckeyes' best player.  The freshman phenom recorded a double-double by scoring 19 points and securing 15 rebounds.



Jon Diebler scored 9 points in OSU's win over Michigan

     Even though Sullinger was indeed dominant, William Buford was actually the key to Ohio State's 2nd half rally.  Buford tallied 13 points, 9 of which came on a trio of 3-balls shortly after halftime.  Buford's outside shooting keyed a 20-6 stretch for OSU that turned the game completely around.

     Darius Morris's stat line, 12 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, may not grab your attention, but the Michigan guard definitely got the attention of the Buckeyes.  On several occasions, Morris made Ohio State defenders look silly as they attempted to impede his progress to the basket, a task made difficult by the fact that Morris can shoot the basketball and pass it to a teammate with equal dexterity.