The Sunday curse has finally been exorcised!
Today, the Buckeyes played a tough game in the second half. After trailing by six at halftime, the Buckeyes reacted to a well-timed timeout by coach Thad Matta, ratcheted down on defense, and played a great second stanza. Riding a career performance from Aaron Craft — who simply would not be denied on his drives to the hoop — the Buckeyes topped no. 4 Michigan State, 68-60. Evan Ravenel, Sam Thompson, Deshaun Thomas, and Amir Williams played very well. Buckeyes fans can hope that this team is starting to find its heart.
The win gives the Buckeyes 20 wins for the year, and also means that they will have a winning record in the very tough Big Ten. There’s still a long way to go, but beating Michigan State is a huge win for Ohio State. Great win, Buckeyes! Now, keep it up!
What about the Buckeyes? They are 10-2, but they’ve lost the only two games they’ve played against powerhouse teams, falling to Duke away and Kansas at home. In both cases, a big problem was shooting the ball. Ohio State plays solid defense but struggles to knock down shots in their half court offense. Deshaun Thomas can be counted on to put points on the board, but the team lacks a consistent number two scorer. Point guard Aaron Craft is a defensive whiz, but he struggles with his outside shot and the lack of Jared Sullinger in the middle has affected his opportunities to drive to the basket. Guard Lenzelle Smith, Jr. is a hustler but his offensive production is streaky. Center Evan Ravenel — the only senior on the team — has decent offensive skills but is undersized.
The Buckeyes played excellent on-the-ball defense and rebounded the ball well to dominate the first half — even though they played most of the half with Deshaun Thomas, their top scorer, riding the bench with two fouls. The Buckeyes were sharp and attacking and had Duke on its heels. In the second half, however, Duke played much more aggressively at both ends of the court, and it paid off. Duke hit big shots, Ohio State didn’t, and when Duke pulled ahead it made the free throws that salted the game away.
Cameron is tough because the crowd is loud and proud, but mostly it’s tough because Duke always has great teams under Coach Mike Krzyzewski. This year is no exception. The Blue Devils are ranked second and they’ve already beaten two of the most highly regarded teams in the nation, Kentucky and Louisville. After six games, the Blue Devils have five players averaging in double figures. They are led by 6-10 center Mason Plumlee, who is netting almost 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks per game, and senior guard Seth Curry. The Blue Devils have a lot of talent and play the tough, disciplined game you expect from a Coach K team.
Duke clearly has the edge in tomorrow night’s contest, but the game should be an intriguing one. Plumlee gives Duke a strong inside game that the Buckeyes lack; OSU big men Evan Ravenel and Amir Williams will have to play exceptionally well to keep the Buckeyes competitive. OSU defensive whiz Aaron Craft will take on one of the Duke guards, but can the Buckeyes guard the rest of the Blue Devil squad? At the other end of the court, Duke will have to figure out how to defend the Buckeyes’ top scorer, Deshaun Thomas, who can take the ball inside or pop from outside. Ohio State fans also are looking for Lenzelle Smith, Jr., one of the heroes of the Buckeyes’ run to the Final Four last year, to assert himself at the offensive end.
The team begins with three stalwart players who really emerged last year: scoring and rebounding machine Deshaun Thomas, point guard and defensive stopper Aaron Craft, and do-everything guard Lenzelle Smith, Jr. All three played significant minutes and made big contributions to last year’s success. To replace Sullinger in the middle, the Buckeyes will look to 6-11 sophomore Amir Williams, a shot blocker who showed promise is limited action last year, and senior Evan Ravenel, who backed up Sullinger. The other spot might be occupied by point guard Shannon Scott, who will need to improve his shooting this year, jump-out-of-the-gym alley-ooper Sam Thompson, or silky smooth shooter LaQuinton Ross. Add in freshman Amedeo Della Valle, from Alba, Italy, and you give coach Thad Matta lots of pieces to work with.
Obviously, I’m more excited about Deshaun Thomas’ decision to return to Ohio State for his junior year. This past season he went from a one-dimensional, shot-launching part-time player to a crucial part of the team that made it all the way to the Final Four. He brought so much to the table — a scorer’s mentality and creative shot-making, an inside-outside offensive game, tremendous rebounding abilities, and significantly improved defense and interior passing — and was just a lot of fun to watch. If his improvement from his sophomore to junior year is comparable his development this year, Thomas could compete for leading scorer and rebounder honors in the Big Ten next year.
The Buckeyes are going to the Final Four! Even as I type those words, I find them hard to believe — and richly satisfying, all at the same time.
The Buckeyes shot the ball well this afternoon, which was the biggest difference between this game and their loss to Michigan State earlier this year, and also rebounded extremely well — which is crucial if you hope to stay in games against the Spartans. The bench contributed big time, with Sam Thompson and, especially, Evan Ravenel making key plays and baskets with the contest in the balance. And when it came down to crunch time, Ohio State went through Jared Sullinger, who made two excellent passes for buckets that kept the score even, and then William Buford stuck in the stiletto and delivered the coup de grace.
Playing so well down the stretch is wonderful, but it is particularly impressive given the fact that the Buckeyes were on the road, Draymond Green was playing his last game at the Breslin Center, Tom Izzo was calling time outs with his customary mastery, and the Izzone was yelling its lungs out every time Ohio State touched the ball. Today’s result is even more impressive because Ohio State clawed back from 15 points down in the first half deficit and a 9-point halftime deficit. Those who have questioned the character of this team got an answer in today’s gutty performance.
Today that will change. This afternoon the Buckeyes will travel to Kansas to play the perennial power Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. And what a place for your to get your first taste of the road! Allen Fieldhouse is one of the most venerated venues in college basketball, with its packed in fans and their weirdly chilling “Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk” chant. The Buckeyes can expect face-painted, bare-chested KU students to yell their brains out every time Aaron Craft brings the ball upcourt.
Webner House 