Ohio State 60 – Iowa 58

Resiliency is not a word that we’ve been able to use about this Ohio State Buckeyes (19-9) team, but last night in Iowa City against the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-16) showed that they indeed could fight back against the tide of mediocrity that had been crashing around them lately.

 

Last night was utterly and completely the Evan Turner Show. He played the hybrid point/forward to perfection, racking up 22 points on 10-17 from the field, with 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and only 3 turnovers. With P.J. Hill and Jeremie Simmons both playing off guard for most of the second half, Turner was in charge of either taking the ball up the court, or being the first pass at the top of the key, where he could then run the offense. Here’s where it got fun, and the best player on the court confirmed that fact. Iowa knew what was happening, knew that Turner was going to drive into the lane, and try to score. They couldn’t do anything about it. When they double or triple teamed him he found the open man under the hoop, or Jon Diebler perched from behind the arc. I’m sure there were a few scouts there, and if any of them represent an NBA team with a top 15 pick, they’re probably still on the phone about Turner today.

 

Contributing for the Buckeyes were starting guards Jon Diebler who his 4 3-pointers for 12 points, and William Buford who got hot for a stretch in the second half, scoring 7 points. The rest of the Buckeyes seemed content just to watch Turner create. Which is fine against a team under .500, but not so good against say Michigan State.

 

For Iowa it was the sharpshooter Devan Bawinkel who took 13 shots, all of them from deep, hitting 8 of them for 24 points. What was surprising in the heat of the game was when he missed two wide-open 3-point shots. PG Jake Kelly also impressed the scouts with a 19-point, 11 rebound game. With his long limbs, and quick crossover, he’s going to have one heck of a season next year with a full year of playing the point under his belt.

 

The Buckeyes are one victory away from that 20-win plateau that coach Thad Matta has never failed to reach. Also, 20 wins in the regular season guarantees a tourney bid, and moves their seeding from a possible #10 to a #7 or #8.