Ohio State found themselves down by 17 on Thursday night at home against Maryland. The #18 Terrapins were looking like they would beat Ohio State and repeat their decisive 83-59 victory from December. But Bruce Thornton had other things in mind. Thornton had 31 points for the Buckeyes, including the game-winning three-pointer. While Thornton led the charge, there was more to this Ohio State win.
Ohio State and Maryland were essentially even in many important areas of the game. In field goal percentage, the Buckeyes had a slight advantage, 45.8% to 41.8%. Maryland had a slight advantage in rebounds, 36 to 30. Ohio State had a small edge in turnovers, 12 to 9.
The Buckeyes' surprising advantage came in the paint. Ohio State outscored Maryland 38-28 after Illinois had dominated the Bucks near the rim on Sunday. This is even more impressive, given that starting center Aaron Bradshaw missed this game with an illness.
Give credit to Jake Diebler and this team for making it a mission to improve in the area that cost them their previous game. Illinois had outscored Ohio State 52-30 in the paint. The Buckeyes turned a minus-22 disadvantage into a plus-10 advantage in the span of a single game.
Ohio State has shown that they are capable of beating any team in the country if they play well. Consistency is the biggest issue for them right now If Diebler can get his team to play with more consistency, there's no reason they shouldn't be in the NCAA Tournament.
High-percentage shots and Bruce Thornton’s heroics earned the Buckeyes the victory. Next, on Sunday, the Buckeyes go on the road to take on the 15-8 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers are like the Buckeyes and will need this game to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Getting this win at home over a top-20 Maryland team should give them the confidence going forward to make the NCAA Tournament.