Ohio State basketball wins without Liddell playing well vs. Penn State

It was another game that made Ohio State basketball fans sweat. The Buckeyes ended up having another close game. It seems that they are only capable of playing close games. What mattered was walking out of State College with a win though, and that’s exactly what they did.

Ohio State was able to beat Penn State 76-64 despite giving up a fairly impressive lead. the Buckeyes had the lead as high as 18 points in the second half. Despite seeing that lead shrink, they didn’t give it all away. That’s all that matters. They did that despite E.J. Liddell playing his worst game of the year.

Liddell wasn’t much of a factor in terms of scoring. He only had 14 points on 4-9 shooting. He was double-teamed most of the first half and was forced to give the ball up. He did so and kept making the right pass and his teammates came through making shots.

Kyle Young had his best game of the year in this one. He was a three-point making machine, draining all four he attempted off the bench. He actually led the team in scoring with 16 points and added 7 rebounds as well. Young might be the most valuable player on this team.

Jamari Wheeler had a well-rounded effort in his first game back at Penn State since leaving the university. He scored 9 points, had 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. He did a little bit of everything to help his new team secure a win over his old one.

This was a good first win in the Big Ten conference for the Buckeyes. They should be ranked once again when the polls come out tomorrow. It’s always good to start out conference play with a victory, especially on the road. They just have to keep up this strong play.

The Ohio State basketball team can be a really good team by the time March rolls around!