Ohio State 82 – #6 Michigan State 70
Submitted by Darren Demaree on Sat, 03/14/2009 - 23:15
The Ohio State Buckeyes (22-9) jumped quickly on the Michigan State Spartans (26-6) Saturday afternoon, taking a double-digit lead in the first half, then keeping the Spartans at bay for the rest of the afternoon, finishing with an 82-70 win.
This was the best game the Buckeyes had in them, and it allowed them to take away a #1 seed from the Spartans. The Buckeyes were quick and efficient on offense, hitting 53% of their shots from the field, including hitting 9 of 16 from beyond the arc. They also assisted on 16 out of the 25 field goals made, led again by playmaker Evan Turner with 5 assists. Also, for the second straight game the Buckeyes defense stepped up big time, holding the Spartans to 38% from the field, including a miserable 3-21 from deep. If it weren’t for the 17 offensive rebounds, the Spartans would have lost this game by 30.
It was Turner who kept the Spartans at bay in the second half, scoring all 18 of his points in the last twenty minutes, and with four minutes left in the game he made 10 of his 11 free throws attempt. He finished 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. As predicted earlier today, everything started with Jon Diebler’s shooting. He ended up hitting 5 out of his 10 3-point shots, ending the game with 17 points. When Turner appeared passive in the first half, it was freshman of the year William Buford who led the Buckeyes with 13 points in the first half, ending the game with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
This one was big. This puts the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament title game; this also puts the Buckeyes in the running for a #5 or #6 seed in the Big Dance. If they can get to 23-9 and wear that crown in front of the committee that might push them all the way to a #4.
Next Game: Sunday 3/15, 3:30pm Vs #24 Purdue (in Indianapolis)
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