GAME NOTES: A pair of top-10 teams coming off rare losses meet up in Columbus this afternoon, as the seventh-ranked Indiana Hoosiers and fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes clash in a Big Ten battle at Value City Arena.
Thad Matta's Buckeyes will be seeking a little bit of redemption in this contest, not only because the team is coming off a tough 79-74 road loss at Illinois last week, but also because Indiana topped Ohio State on New Year's Eve in Bloomington, 74-70 to win the first meeting this year. The Buckeyes are a perfect 13-0 at home this season and have won 35 straight on their own floor dating back to February of 2010.
Tom Crean's Hoosiers are also looking for a quick turnaround, as they suffered a 77-74 loss to Minnesota at home on Thursday. The loss halted a three-game win streak for Indiana, which began with the big win over Ohio State.
The win in Bloomington two weeks ago brought an end to a six-game win streak in the series for Ohio State, giving Indiana an all-time advantage of 102-77 in the series. OSU has captured the last three meetings in Columbus.
Freshman Cody Zeller continued his excellent debut season with a game-high 23 points (tied career-high), but it wasn't enough, as Indiana fell by three points to the Golden Gophers this past week. Zeller was joined in double figures by Jordan Hulls (13 pts), Will Sheehey (12 pts) and Victor Oladipo (10 pts). Sheehey returned to action for the first time since mid-December. The Hoosiers were an efficient 22-of-25 from the free-throw line in the game, but committed 16 turnovers, yielding 17 points off those miscues. Indiana remains a dangerous squad at both ends of the floor, sporting a +17.4 scoring margin. The team is ninth in the nation in scoring (81.9 ppg), fifth in field goal percentage (.501) and leads the country in three-point field goal percentage (.459). Scoring depth is apparent with five players currently averaging double figures. Zeller leads the way with 14.7 ppg. Christian Watford aids in the frontcourt with 12.9 ppg. Hulls, Oladipo and Sheehey give the team a number of offensive options at 12.4, 11.3 and 10.8 ppg, respectively.
While the Hoosiers are comfortable bombing away from long distance, Ohio State centers its game around All-American big man Jared Sullinger. The 6-9 sophomore is just about unstoppable in the paint, shooting 60.5 percent from the floor, while pacing the Buckeyes in both scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg). William Buford and Deshaun Thomas join Sullinger to give Ohio State a potent scoring trio, at 15.4 and 15.3 ppg, respectively. Point guard Aaron Craft adds 8.1 ppg, but does much more than score, leading the team in assists (93) and steals (45). The Buckeyes simply had no answer for Illinois' Brandon Paul, who went off for a whopping 43 points in leading the Illini to a five- point win over Ohio State last week. Thomas led four Buckeyes in double figures with 23 points. Sullinger was right behind with 21 points, followed by Buford who had 15 points and Craft, who finished with 12 points and seven assists. Ohio State led by five points at halftime, but the Illini shot a scorching 63.2 percent after the break to earn the victory.
The Hoosiers outplayed the Buckeyes in their last meeting, but it will be much tougher in Columbus this afternoon. Ohio State has not lost in Columbus in quite and while. With getting this one at home and seeking revenge for an earlier loss, the scales are certainly tipped in OSU's favor here.
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