Ohio State Basketball: Veterans step up as Buckeyes hold off Hoosiers
Having sophomore center Kaleb Wesson back in the lineup lit a fire under the Ohio State Buckeyes but the play by the veterans secured the win.
The Ohio State Buckeyes simply looked like a different team against the Indiana Hoosiers today with Kaleb Wesson back in the lineup. However, it took the veteran players to come up big in the end to pull off the win.
Early on the Buckeyes applied pressure defense which led to turnovers and fast break baskets. And when they pushed the ball up the court quickly but didn’t get an easy score, the half court offense flowed and opened opportunities to get the ball to Wesson. He would usually get a shot off or find an open man when he was double teamed.
The up tempo offense and working the ball inside to the big center definitely paid dividends.
The Buckeyes hadn’t scored more than 20 points in the first half the last three games but took a 35-28 lead into halftime. In the second half they extended their lead to 63-43 with about 7 ½ minutes to play. Then the Hoosiers began their comeback.
Indiana stormed back in large part due to Devonte Green being unconscious from long distance. His three-point shot with 6 seconds left closed the gap to 77-75. C.J. Jackson was then fouled after receiving the inbounds pass and calmly sank two free throws to seal the win.
The senior scored 17 points, several of them in crunch time, had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. However, he was just one of the veterans who came up big for the Buckeyes.
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No player was more important in the 79-75 victory than Keyshawn Woods. Not only did the graduate transfer score 18 points, he pulled down 7 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and had 2 steals. Even more importantly, Woods kept things under control handling the ball when Indiana came storming back and he hit big shots down the stretch.
Junior Andre Wesson played a solid all-around game and contributed 13 points. His two made free throws with about a minute and a half left were extremely important.
When the older players had to step up they came through.
Stats provided by ESPN.com.
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The win may have earned the Buckeyes an invite to the NCAA Tournament but nothing is certain as of yet. It may be a situation where Ohio State will have to at least be competitive tomorrow against Michigan State to lock in a tournament bid. Game time is scheduled for 12:30.