No. 4 Ohio State Stays Hot, Cruises Past Indiana, 78-59
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 4 Ohio State continued its torrid march toward a top seed in the NCAA Tournament with a convincing 78-59 victory over unranked Indiana on Saturday at Value City Arena.
Ohio State (17-4, 11-4 in the Big Ten) jumped out to a quick double-digit lead on the Hoosiers and led comfortably most of the way, with Indiana (11-9, 6-7 in the Big Ten) never getting closer than five. A 20-4 run midway through the second half blew the game open for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State came into the game having won eight of nine games over the past five weeks, going from unranked to No. 4 in the country in a hurry. They did it by beating four top-15 teams along the way.
The Buckeyes had four players in double figures, E.J. Liddell (19), Justice Sueing (16), Duane Washington, Jr. (12) and C.J. Walker (10). They also dominated the glass, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds and winning the rebounding battle 36-28.
"Today wasn't our best day. We made a couple of runs, but we couldn't sustain it,'' Indiana coach Archie Miller said. "They are very good, very physical, and there's a reason why they're moving up the ladder so quick. I knew they would be a challenge coming in, and they were tough.''
Indiana has been hampered by slow starts all season, and fell behind early again, trailing 21-7 midway through the first half that was spurred by an eventual 19-0 run by Ohio State. But unlike their past two wins against Iowa and Northwestern where they erased double-digit deficits, Ohio State wasn't going to let that happen on Saturday,
Indiana did get it to 45-40 early in the second half, but then Ohio State scored on four straight possessions. The lead stayed close to 20 points most of the rest of the way.
It was another satisfying win for Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, who came into the Big Ten four years ago just a few months after Archie Miller was hired at Indiana. Holtmann is now 6-1 in the head-to-head matchups.
Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 23 points and nine rebounds after a slow start.
"He gets better as the game goes on, but he's got to be a faster starter, no question,'' Miller said of Jackson-Davis. "We make a few layups early, hit some free throws early, then maybe that 17-4 start isn't happening.
Ohio native Jerome Hunter was the only other Indiana player in double figures with 10. The 19-point loss was the second-largest of the year for Indiana, second only to the 66-44 loss to Texas back in early December.
"I think our defense collapsed, especially in this game. It enabled them to get a lead early,'' Jackson-Davis said. "They are physical. Their guards were crashing big-time. At the end of the game, we were called soft, but I know my teammates and we're not soft.
"I'm in my head a lot. Once I cleared my head, I was fine. I thought I was better about taking my time at the rim as the game progressed.''
The Buckeyes are back in action on Thursday at Penn State. Indiana plays Minnesota on Wednesday at Assembly Hall.
