As threatened promised, Robbie Donoho is back to give us insight from his up close look at Sunday’s game. Think of it as “Shots from the Schott, But Not”.
Ohio State played nearly perfect basketball on January 25th against Purdue, and E’Twaun Moore played nearly perfect on Sunday against the Buckeyes.
The East Chicago, Indiana native poured in a career high 38 points that single-handedly surged Purdue to a 76-63 over #3 Ohio State, the first win over a top 3 opponent at home since 1992.
Did Ohio State get out-played? Absolutely, but not in the way I was anticipating.
18 turnovers, 27% shooting in the 2nd half, Ohio State turned into Dr. Jekyll after showing flashes of Mr. Hyde in the first half.
So the question that begs to be answered: what happened? How did Purdue run away?
Remember my keys to victory before the game? Let’s revisit those points.
OHIO STATE
Stay above the turnover margin. This was the MOST important stat to the game, which was the reason why it was listed first on my keys to the game Saturday. 18 turnovers, just 9 assists will never cut it in the Big Ten. Purdue did turn it over 14 times themselves, but they had 16 assists to go along with that. The Buckeyes didn’t stay above the turnover margin, and saw what happened as a result.
Get Deshaun Thomas (& the bench involved). Thomas did put up 6 shots, but had a big ol’ bagel next to his name at the end of the battle. He had NUMEROUS good looks on the perimeter, and a couple bunnies that he just didn’t convert. Craft had multiple open shots, but couldn’t knock them down. Thomas and Craft have to be MUCH bigger factors if they want to win again.
Take and make the trey. Ohio State had their opportunities. They had A TON of good looks from the outside. But 4 for 15 from the perimeter will diminish your chances for victory.
Give #44 the rock. I said it before the game; Buford has to be a factor if Ohio State wants to win. 2 early fouls hurt his chances and he never got into the rhythm of the game. 1 for 5 from the field, just 7 points, that won’t do it from Will. I know the turnover margin was important, but this was ultimately the key to victory that didn’t come through.
Don’t lose composure. It was THE LOUDEST I’ve ever heard Mackey. Most Buckeyes that went to the game can agree with me that it was hard to hear yourself think. For the most part OSU did a good job at fighting through adversity and questionable officiating. There’s a reason why Purdue hasn’t lost at home this season, and they showed it to the Bucks on Sunday.
PURDUE
Find a 3rd scorer. Who needs a 3rd scorer when you are getting 38 from your All-American? JaJuan Johnson had 13, but the 3rd scorer was once again Lewis Jackson, who came through with a tough 9 points. Lew Jack is becoming Purdue’s leader at the point guard position, and Craft did a remarkable job at slowing him down, unlike Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor who let him go off for 18 points last Wednesday.
Defend the perimeter, keep the score small. I won’t say it was Purdue’s best perimeter defense of the season, but 4 for 15 doesn’t lie. OSU did have multiple open looks from the outside that they couldn’t convert, but give credit to the Boilermaker defense for getting the job done. And keeping the score small? Throw that out the window. Purdue’s (16-0) this season when they score 70 or more.
Rebound. Rebound. Rebound. Sullinger was a man amongst boys inside, pulling down tough boards and banging in the post with the Boilers’ front line. Purdue did lose the rebounding battle 32-30, but that’s a margin Matt Painter can live with at the end of the day when you hold the opponent to 38% shooting from the field.
Protect the home court. Mackey Arena proved once again it’s become a house of horrors for the rest of the Big Ten conference. Purdue just doesn’t lose the big games at home. And when you get an all-world performance from your senior guard, it’s nearly impossible for Purdue to lose in West Lafayette.
For Purdue, it’s mission accomplished and onto the next one. They’ve done the job this past week getting 2 top 10 victories on their home court. For Ohio State, it’s about protecting The Schott now. 3 of the next 4 are in Value City Arena, and the last one against Wisconsin will be the biggest. Win out, and the Big Ten regular season crown goes to Columbus. A loss in the next 4 could open the door for Purdue to inch their way back into contention for their record 24th Big Ten championship banner.
Is it a race again? There’s no doubt about it. The Buckeyes better have their spikes ready, cause there’s a train behind them that’s ready to sweep in and take the title if they slip and fall before the finish line.
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