It was a real question if the Buckeyes would be able to feed the ball into Jared Sullinger against Jordan Morgan as much as they did against a Purdue team that had no one to guard him. However, Sullinger had a brilliant encore, showing no signs of the struggles from just two and three weeks ago, as he and Deshaun Thomas led the Buckeyes offense to another strong offensive display in their 77-55 demolition of Michigan. The Buckeyes dominated in the paint once again and were ferocious on defense, forcing 18 Wolverine turnovers. The win sends the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title game where they still have a lot to prove and plenty for which to play.

Look no further than yesterday’s performance to determine why Aaron Craft was the hands down Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten Conference. Fresh off a career-high 30 point game against Minnesota Friday, Michigan point guard Trey Burke was held to just 5 points on 1-of-11 shooting and turned the ball over 8 times, a season high. Craft limited Burke’s touches, increased the difficulty of the touches that he did get, and with the help of his big men kept the freshman Michigan point away from the rim. Craft also had a stellar strip of Jordan Morgan on the block and had a key charge taken against Burke early in the contest. Craft said about the team’s effort on Burke, “Our bigs did a great job hedging ball screens today and everyone else did a good job of zoning up and not giving easy baskets for the most part.” [Read more...]

It’s a beautiful thing. For weeks, I’ve been writing, tweeting, and talking to anyone who will listen about how the Buckeyes need to focus on their interior game to become more productive on the offensive end. Last night, they did just that against the Purdue Boilermakers. Jared Sullinger posted a season-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting, while Deshaun Thomas added 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, with the two leading an efficient, hard-nosed, team-building 88-71 win in the Big Ten Quarterfinals. The Buckeyes shot 61% from the floor and because of their late 17-2 run, they were able to overcome 12-of-26 shooting from beyond the arc by the Boilers.

The 1-2 inside punch of Sullinger and Thomas was absolutely phenomenal. Purdue’s not a physical team, so the Buckeyes hit the glass hard, outrebounding the Boilers 39-28. They also scored 48 of their 88 points in the paint. For Sullinger, they moved him around a little bit on the perimeter and that prevented the double teams from having time to trap the big guy. Sully hit a crucial three in the final minute of the first half and added another mid-range jumper. The sophomore center did a much better job of remaining under control with the lower half of his body, powering through Travis Carroll and Sandi Marcius on several and-one finishes. For Thomas, it was tremendous work on the glass and inside the paint with an array of moves that proved crucial. As Thomas has improved, it’s remarkable to me how solid his touch around the basket is. When he is hitting his outside shot (DT was 2-for-5 from deep), he is virtually unstoppable. [Read more...]

Vindication. That’s what William Buford and The Ohio State Buckeyes obtained on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center along with a Big Ten Championship.  Facing the #5 Michigan State Spartans, who clubbed the Bucks in Columbus last month, they endured a trying first half only to heat up and respond to the challenge in the second half, as they shot 59% with Buford’s 19 points and game-winning jumper with 1.0 seconds left leading the charge in that second twenty minutes. The scarlet and gray beat Michigan State 72-70 to create a three-way split of the Big Ten Championship between Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan. It was as galvanizing a moment as the Buckeyes have had all year, and it could not have come at a more crucial time heading into Indianapolis this week for the Big Ten Tournament.

When the Buckeyes stumbled into halftime down just 9 points, I told anyone who would listen that they were fortunate not to be down twenty. The first half was characterized by Michigan State outworking the Buckeyes at both ends while OSU missed nearly every shot they attempted. Essentially, it was a carbon copy of the disaster that ended OSU’s 39-game home win streak back in February. [Read more...]

At Value City Arena in a short while, William Buford will be honored for Senior Day as the lone senior from an accomplished Buckeye basketball team that has won a pair of Big Ten regular season titles, two Big Ten Conference Tournament championships, and that has made two Sweet 16 appearances with Buford’s help, with a chance to still accomplish all those things and more this season. Part of all that as well has been sophomore center Jared Sullinger, who may very well, like Buford, be playing his last game in Columbus for the scarlet and gray. Few players in the Thad Matta era have been as big a fan favorite, as consistent a performer, and as proud to be a Buckeye as Sullinger has.

Sullinger, projected to be a Top 5-10 pick in last year’s draft, opted to return to Ohio State, as he and his father said he would all along. The uncertainty of the NBA season may have made that decision easier for Sully, but more than that, it was his desire to work on his game and win a national championship. In year two, Sullinger hasn’t improved much statistically (averaging 17.2 points per game again, rebounds down from 10.2 to 9.0 per game, FG% up from 54.1% to 55.5%) though a lot of that can be attributed to increased defensive attention with the departures of David Lighty and Jon Diebler along with the struggles of William Buford. What Sullinger has added is a three-point shooting threat (he’s 11-for-27 this year for 41%). He’s also battled multiple injuries (bruised foot, plantar fasciitis, and back spasms) that caused him to miss two games and leave another early in the first half. Whereas the Buckeyes were on everyone’s radar last season as the favorite of many to win it all, very few, if any, experts feel that way right now. Michigan State is the golden child of the Big Ten as a result of their victory in Columbus, one where Sullinger had 10 turnovers and was outplayed by Adreian Payne.

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the midst of an identity crisis right now. So, in an effort to help my alma mater, I’m going to tell them exactly what they are.

They’re an offensively anemic team that relies on streaky three point shooting and contested fadeaways in the post all too much. They don’t drive, they don’t use high-low post action against zone defenses, and they don’t feed their big man and best player on this team half as much as they should. They’re a very good defensive team, but that defense is prone to giving up some star performances to mediocre players because of its complexity. They’re also a team that is playing bad basketball at the wrong time down the stretch and is heading for a first weekend upset at this point. They cannot win on the road consistently, and they’ve struggled against other top opponents in the conference.  All of that fire in my belly comes after watching Michigan dominate the first half, despite what the scoreboard said, and hold off the Buckeyes with a little help from Ted Valentine and the men in stripes. The Wolverines won 56-51, and Michigan State stands alone atop the Big Ten standings, with Ohio State and Michigan now tied for second, one-half game behind them. [Read more...]