The Buckeyes invited Miami (OH) into Columbus for the last non-conference game of the season this evening and came away with a convincing 69-40 victory. The game was played in Nationwide Arena to satisfy the NCAA requirements for hosting first round tournament games, which Ohio State has the honor of doing this season. William Buford lead all Buckeyes with 18 points, while Deshaun Thomas added 15, and Jared Sullinger followed with 11 and 6 rebounds. Julian Mavunga, Miami’s excellent forward, quietly led all scorers with 19 points for the game.
Ohio State took to the new surroundings quite naturally. The team came out of the gate with a lot more energy than we have seen since the Duke game and quickly forced Miami into a deep hole. With his team performing so poorly, and reacting slowly to the aggressive OSU attack, the Miami head coach was forced to call a quick timeout in the first minutes of the game.
The energy didn’t last past the first TV timeout. Charlie Coles did a great job of making quick adjustments to his defense to start to take away Sullinger and Buford, the most successful scorers to that point. Mavunga was a key piece to Coles’s plans to attack the Ohio State big. His defensive play early on was spectacular, including great focus to get a hand on a close range shot and force a jump ball.
Jordan Sibert managed to see playing time very early in this game in replacement for Lenzelle Smith. It’s hard to say if Matta is trying to play around with his lineup with how much Smith is struggling, or if Miami gave the Buckeyes a look that suggested that Sibert was the better option. Either way, it suggests that Matta clearly trusts Sibert to get the job done on the court, even if his production doesn’t quite match the early season expectations.
Sam Thompson also got a chance to see the court in the first half, but subbed in for Buford rather than at the 2 like we’ve been expecting. He is continuing to demonstrate good decision making for a freshman, letting the opportunities come to him rather than forcing ill-advised shots. There’s also a clear growth in his defensive skill set which is obviously helping him see a larger amount of meaningful playing time this season.
Ultimately, Matta played 9 deep in the first half with Shannon Scott and Evan Ravenel also picking up some playing time. That’s not necessarily an indication of how deep the bench will be during Big Ten play, but there are some promising signs considering the defensive effort of Scott and Thompson. If we continue to see that kind of depth early in Big Ten play, it will be a great sign for those hoping for more players to see the court against top teams.
Proof positive for the strides this team is making on defense is the atrocious three point shooting that other teams have been displaying. Lamar ended the game 0-12 on Tuesday, and Miami shot 0-7 through the first half tonight. While these opponents aren’t great, even poor quality teams should hit a couple of their three pointers. The previous time Ohio State had held a team without a three pointer was in March 1992 when they held Connecticut to 0-10 from long range. Doing it two games in a row is a great indication of excellent perimeter defense.
At the start of the second half, the Bucks went back to the strategies that make them successful – getting the ball to Sullinger, Thomas, and Buford. The aggressive attack plan began to work wonders for the offense as Ohio State was able to open a 20 point lead lead on the visiting Redhawks. It was about time that this team was able to switch the effort back on coming out of the half after a lackadaisical first period of play. If they can continue to turn it on in future games they will be tough to beat.
With the game getting out of hand, the Buckeyes took advantage of defensive plays leading to fast breaks to pick up easy opportunities at the line. A couple of sweet passes near the basket leading to layups and fouls began to wake up the lethargic crowd at Nationwide Arena. It also began to wake up the Redhawks who finally started to play with more passion and began to close the gap on the Bucks. But with a more than 20 point advantage with only five minutes left to play, it was far too little too late for Miami.
Amazingly, LaQuinton Ross managed to see the court for the first time with less than 4 minutes on the clock and made his presence known quickly. His first shot from the field was a drained threepointer from the left wing with a defender in his face. There is simply no question that this kid has talent and wants to put it on display for the fans in Columbus. It’ll be fun to see what he can do in the near future for this Buckeye’s team.
For the game, the Redhawks shot 15-44 (34.1%) from the field and 2-14 (14.3%) from three. The Buckeyes responded with 26-58 (44.8%) and 4-15 (26.7%) respectively. Both teams were even with 33 rebounds, while the Buckeyes won the assist battle 18-5, and the turnover battle 5-18.
The Buckeyes will take a six day break before taking on the Northwestern Wildcats in Value City Arena on Wednesday, December 28th at 5:30 PM EST. That game will air on the Big Ten Network.
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