Buckeyes Get Revenge, Cruise Past Indiana

Jared Sullinger wanted revenge against an Indiana team that defeated Ohio State 74-70 in Bloomington earlier this season.

It was Lenzelle Smith Jr. that helped Sullinger and the Buckeyes get even.

Smith Jr. scored a career high 28 points on 10-12 shooting (4-5 from three) while snagging seven rebounds -- fueling Ohio State in an 80-63 rout of the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers.

Smith Jr’s man was doubling down on Jared Sullinger, much like they did in their first matchup two weeks ago, but this time Smith Jr. made them pay, "Throughout the game I just saw my man leave me every single time," Smith said. "The first game, I was complaining about that to my team. This game we capitalized that and we were able to get some easy buckets."

Smith Jr. isn’t a part of the starting lineup for his offense -- he came into the contest averaging just five points a game -- as the coaching staff uses him for his defense and rebounding. But against Indiana, he was the difference maker.

Indiana coach Tom Crean figured his defense needed to focus on other players, "Lenzelle is averaging four shots a game. Look it up," Crean said. "He really played well. He played well at our place, but they've got a lot of good players. That's why they're as good as they are."

It wasn’t just Smith Jr. who played well -- three other Buckeyes scored in double-digits. Sullinger was one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds. William Buford scored 12 and Deshaun Thomas added 11 for an Ohio State team that shot 54% against a solid Indiana defense. The Buckeyes outrebounded the Hoosiers 33-28 and won the battle in the paint by being more physical than Indiana.

“We let them be the aggressor, and I think that let them set the tone for the game,” Crean said.

The Buckeyes were certainly aggressive on defense, holding the Hoosiers to just 63 points -- 19 below their season average. Indiana shot 43% against the Buckeyes but committed 17 turnovers in a constant string of momentum-killing mistakes. It was evident early that the Hoosiers were going to struggle throughout.

“We knew coming into the game that we gave these guys 17 layups the first game,” Sullinger said. “We decided not to let that happen today. We came out and executed our defense.”

Indiana won the tip and Jordan Hulls connected on a nice mid-range jumper for the first score of the game. That lead was brief as William Buford connected on a jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions for the Buckeyes. Ohio State turned up the defense and forced four Hoosier turnovers in four minutes -- igniting a 13-2 run that put Ohio State up by 13 midway through the first half. The Buckeyes defense was stifling as the Hoosiers missed 15 of their first 20 shots. They finished the half shooting just 27% while committing 11 turnovers.

Smith Jr. was hot early as the sophomore guard outscored the entire Indiana team 18-14 in the first half. Buford scored seven and Craft added four, but with Sullinger going just 1-5 for two points, Smith Jr’s 18 points were huge. The Buckeyes shot 48% from the field and 56% from three through 20 minutes as the Buckeyes took a 35-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Hoosiers were able to get things going in the second half -- but it was too little, too late. The Buckeyes made a concerted effort to get the ball in Sullinger’s hands and the sophomore big man didn’t disappoint, scoring 14 second half points on 6-9 shooting. After the Buckeyes built a 26 point lead, the Hoosiers were able to go on a run to bring the game within 16. That’s as close as they’d get though as the Buckeyes coasted to an easy 17 point victory.

The Buckeyes get five days off before traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska to play the Cornhuskers on January 21.

(Photo credit - Terry Gilliam - TheOzone.net)

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