Big Ten Basketball: Buckeyes Survive Spartan Comeback Bid

Ohio State choked away a large lead in the second half when Michigan State knocked down a jumper to go up 62-61 after a scrambling exchange where the Buckeyes couldn’t grab a defensive rebound.  The Michigan State crowd exploded and the Buckeyes easily could have folded under the pressure.  This team wouldn’t let it happen though.  Buford hit two free throws to restore the lead 63-62.  Evan Turner juked his way into a mid-range jumper and then Jon Diebler caught and shot the way he can and drained a three to give the Buckeyes a 68-62 lead with under two minutes to go in the game.  Diebler’s three took the wind out of the crowd, forced Michigan State to take a timeout and ultimately became the nail in the coffin as Ohio State beat Michigan State 74-67.

I know a lot of people don’t read the Ohio State basketball recaps, but for those who do, I apologize for missing the recap on the Purdue game.  No, I don’t only recap games that the Buckeyes win.  After that loss to Purdue, Ohio State needed to beat Michigan State to be tied (11-4) for 2nd place with MSU in the Big Ten standings behind Purdue (11-3.) The Buckeyes now have three games left on the Big Ten schedule at Penn State, before closing out at home against Michigan and Illinois.

Obviously all this really leads up to March Madness.  The latest “Bracketology” projection at ESPN has the Buckeyes being the third seed in the East with the likes of Villanova and Kentucky.

Here are the highlights from yesterday’s game against MSU