The Buckeyes continued their march toward the big dance with a 12-point victory over the top-seeded Michigan State Spartans as they look to solidify their spot in the tournament and improve their seed.

• Ohio State's leader Evan Turner was held scoreless in the first half, but OSU got huge scoring production from freshman William Buford and sophomore Jon Diebler in the first twenty minutes.  Buford had 13 of his 14 points in the first half, and Diebler contributed 8 of his 17 total points in the first half as well.  In fact, the Bucks had four in double figures and at least six points from seven of the nine who played.  When the Buckeyes can get two others in double figures besides Turner, they are usually able to provide enough offense to win games through their zone defense and defensive pressure.

• The Buckeyes led by just five at halftime, but they were able to push the lead to as much as 17 because the Spartans went on a seven minute drought where they did not make a shot from the field.  During that time, OSU continued to shoot it at a 50% clip and got some big buckets from B.J. Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale.  The Spartans were able to close the gap to single digits as a result of pressing the Bucks and getting a couple of steals along with hitting the offensive glass.  Michigan State had an astonishing 17 offensive rebounds in the game today, and that is something that constantly hurts OSU.  Guard Korie Lucious provided a spark for MSU during that stretch, notching 16 points in just 18 minutes of game action.

• After an awful performance yesterday against Wisconsin in which he fouled out, freshman B.J. Mullens was effective today with 12 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks in 18 minutes.  Mullens needs to continue to hit the boards with effort and play hard while he is out there.

• Turner, much like he has done in recent games, took over in the second half after being timid in the first half.  I think part of this is the fact that Turner essentially runs the point in the second half instead of P.J. Hill and Jeremie Simmons in the first half.  Turner is one of the most versatile players in the nation, because he can score in the post, off the dribble, from behind the arc, and off the jump shot.  His 6-7 frame allows him to drive into the key using a variety of spin moves and finish strong.  Evan is the barometer of the Buckeyes, and they will go as far in the tournament as he takes them.

• The things that can really trip the Buckeyes up are rebounding, turnovers, and foul trouble.  Being only truly seven deep, the Buckeyes cannot sustain a great deal of foul trouble, especially when it comes to Turner, who picked up his third with 12 minutes to go today and his fourth with 4 to go.  Ohio State has trouble at times bringing the ball up against pressure, especially Jeremie Simmons, who showed it today against Michigan State.  Finally, they have to keep teams off the offensive glass which is difficult due to their lack of size with four guards on the floor most of the time.

Game ball goes to: Evan Turner, with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and an impressive 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Team Grade: A

The Buckeyes defeated a team who had a shot at a number one seed if they won today and tomorrow.  They shot 53 percent and their supporting cast along with Turner executed brilliantly on the offensive side.  Michigan State struggled with shooting the ball (38%), but give the Buckeye 3-2 zone defense credit for getting out on shooters and not allowing that many easy looks inside.  Now, the Buckeyes will take on either Purdue, who they split with this season, or Illinois, who they lost to twice, in the Big Ten Championship Game tomorrow at 3:30.

O-H-I-O!

Kirk

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