Ohio State handles Hoosiers 82-61

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Even with a National Player of the Year candidate spending the majority of his time on the bench, Ohio State didn’t miss a beat.

Saddled with early foul trouble, Buckeyes forward Jared Sullinger was held without a field goal for the first time this season Sunday. But the No. 2 team in the nation compensated with a suffocating defensive effort, holding IU to 38.5 percent shooting in an 82-61 victory in Value City Arena.

“We had a horrendous shooting day,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “You’ve got to have a lot of things clicking. Almost everything has got to be clicking. You’re not going to play perfect in games like this obviously, but you’ve got to have a lot of things clicking offensively, defensively, the rebounding game. You’ve got to be somewhere close in the free throw shooting game as far as attempts. And we didn’t have enough of that.”

The Hoosiers’ shooting struggles began early in the first half, when they missed eight consecutive shots and committed six turnovers in a nearly eight-minute stretch.

An 8-7 IU (12-17) lead had grown to a 16-8 Ohio State advantage, and the Buckeyes (27-2) never looked back. The game broke open after consecutive 3-pointers from Ohio State freshman Deshaun Thomas pushed the Buckeyes’ lead to 14 more than halfway through the first.

“We got a little too comfortable and let our guard down a little bit,” junior guard Verdell Jones said of the run. “With a team as talented as them, you can’t do that at any point in the game.”

Thomas, a Fort Wayne native and Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2010, led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting. It was the most points he has scored in Big Ten play this season and two points away from a season-high.  

“He was hitting open shots,” Crean said of Thomas. “He really was. Give credit to him. He made good plays. He made some and-1s and he got hot with the 3. He’s one of the all-time leading scorers in the history of Indiana, so he can score.”

Jones and sophomore forward Christian Watford were the only two Hoosiers in double digits with 14 and 12 points, respectively. They also led the team at getting to the free throw line, but IU had only 20 attempts as a team.

By contrast, Ohio State had 27 free throws made alone.

Crean said the difference in the numbers came from the Hoosiers’ unwillingness to attack the basket.

“We just weren’t aggressive enough at the rim,” he said. “I think we got back on our heels again. I hate that. Sometimes that happens to us in the second half with the free throw discrepancies, but it shouldn’t be happening in the first half.”

While Ohio State scored seemingly at ease from the 3-point shot to alley-oops, IU couldn’t string together an offense run needed to close the gap.

The Hoosiers had just one occasion in the second half Sunday when they tallied a field goal on consecutive possessions — a fast break dunk from freshman guard Victor Oladipo.

With sophomore guard Jordan Hulls going 1-of-9 from the field and Watford turning the ball over five times, IU’s top offensive threats were held in check. In the process, Ohio State built its lead to as large as 27 points.

Crean said that lack of stability among IU’s best scorers puts his team at a disadvantage as it faces the Big Ten’s best teams.  

“The best teams in this league are getting real consistency in the scoring from their best players. And we’re not there yet,” Crean said. “We’re not getting that right now. We’re not getting enough from other areas.”