Jake Diebler, Ohio State Upset Zach Edey, No. 2 Purdue
It’s a new era of Ohio State basketball.
In his first game as acting head coach, Jake Diebler and his Buckeyes (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten) took down reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (23-3, 12-3 Big Ten) in a 73-69 home bout Sunday.
This was Ohio State’s first top-five win since Nov. 30, 2022, when the unranked Buckeyes upset then-No. 1 Duke.
The first two-and-a-half minutes seemed it would dictate the rest of the game: Purdue started on an 8-0 run before the Buckeyes settled in. Boilermaker senior guard Lance Jones hit a transition 3 and locked up Buckeye sophomore guard Bruce Thornton early.
The two guards would go at each other on both ends the entire first half but Thornton outshone Jones with 14 points, shooting great from midrange.
The real game-changer for the Buckeyes, however, was senior forward Zed Key, who, despite only having seven points, stripped the ball three times from Purdue senior center Zach Edey and made big-time contests in the paint.
Perhaps a detriment to Purdue late in the first half was sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer, who missed three consecutive floaters and pull-up jumpers from midrange on straight possessions, allowing the Buckeyes to take it down the other way and set up, move the ball around and find the open man for a bucket.
Diebler ran deep in his bench in the first, playing 11 Buckeyes, including running a lineup with Thornton, sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and freshmen Devin Royal, Scotty Middelton and Austin Parks. This team took the lead and held it for the remainder of the first half, as Ohio State led 35-30 after 20.
Although senior forward Jamison Battle had almost gone cold the past few games — and didn’t score in the first half Sunday — he came out in the first six minutes of the half and started a perfect 4-4 and 11 points. The Minnesota transfer hit back-to-back 3s to get the crowd really going.
But the Boilermakers were far from done. Edey started to get going from the start of the second half, starting a perfect 5-5 from the field with 10 points. Once Purdue started to get going, including going on a 6-0 run, their fans started the “Boiler Up” chant — it almost sounded like a home game at certain points for Purdue.
On a single possession, Purdue had five straight offensive rebounds and tip-outs but couldn’t convert any into buckets.
Despite the fact that Matt Painter’s squad couldn't buy a bucket for three straight minutes, Purdue got into the bonus with over fine minutes remaining, having not missed a free throw yet. The Buckeyes did all they could to stop Edey and sophomore forward Trey Kauffman-Renn down low but did not play the most disciplined late, especially with Key and sophomore forward Felix Okpara nursing four fouls each.
Edey put up 22 points, 13 boards en route to his 19th double-double of the season, good for third in the country. But his offensive rebound contributions were vital to the Boilermakers’ success — the nation’s No. 2 leader in the stat recorded six on the offensive glass.
Thornton, however, kept the Buckeyes ahead, getting shots to fall on several consecutive possessions or facilitating and kicking out for his teammates to hit crunch-time shots. With just over three minutes remaining, Thornton kicked it to senior guard Dale Bonner for a big 3 to put Ohio State up seven.
Purdue went on a 7-0 run down the stretch to tie the game with just over a minute remaining but Battle came down the other way and hit a midrange jumper to give the Buckeyes the lead again. Key stripped Edey yet again and gave Ohio State the ball with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Battle went to the line and hit both free throws on a foul from a midrange pull up. The Buckeyes led by four with 30 seconds remaining.
But after Purdue senior forward Mason Gillis missed a wide-open layup, Edey grabbed the board for a putback slam. Boilermakers trailed by two with 16 seconds remaining.
Thornton finished with 21 points and Battle added a complementary 19 in the second half to finish out the game.
Hoping to stay hot, the Buckeyes go on the road Thursday at Minnesota from Williams Arena, tipping off at 8 p.m. EST.
