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This guy has the total package.
That's what ran through my mind as Evan Turner drilled a 40-foot leaning jumper to send the Wolverines home for the season. Turner's shot was a prayer answered after Manny Harris and Michigan surged in the game's final minutes to take the lead behind several clutch shots. This win may prove to be a worthwhile scare for the Bucks, and it keeps their hopes for a number one seed alive, heading into tomorrow night's matchup with the winner of the Wisconsin-Illinois game. March Madness has truly kicked off.
Sims's quick start, kicking the rust off: DeShawn Sims got plenty of nice looks for the Wolverines early, and his quick 8 points gave Michigan the early lead. The rest of the U of M squad was aided by open driving lanes thanks to a cautious OSU defense that looked afraid to foul early in a game where the calls were few and far between. The Bucks also had 5 turnovers in the game's first 10 minutes as a couple of passes simply bounced off their hands. With a 10 day layoff, much of this is understandable, but U of M was not about to let them get away with it.
The one-man bench: Kyle Madsen over the course of the last 10 or so games for the Bucks has truly become the one-man bench. Madsen had a couple of buckets in extended time due to Dallas Lauderdale foul trouble, and finished with 8 points 2 boards. The Buckeyes didn't skip a beat with him in there, and they rarely do. Matta elects to go just 6 deep in most tight games, except for brief cameos for Jeremie Simmons or P.J. Hill at times. I'm one of those who doesn't agree with that philosophy. Due to foul trouble at some point, we are going to need one of those guys to play some important minutes. I wouldn't see much of a dropoff by giving one of these guys 8 minutes per game and cutting everyone else from 40 down to 38 minutes.
Diebler inside the arc: Early on, Jon Diebler got a couple of nice buckets inside the arc. What I've noticed in several games this year is that Diebler is a huge wild card for the team. When he reaches double digits, Ohio State doesn't lose that often, and he has a huge thing going for him. That is, everyone chases him off the line, and he often falls into easy interior buckets. If he can pick up 2-3 of those a game in addition to a couple of three balls, he really helps take the pressure off Turner. In fact, the Bucks had four guys (Buford and Lighty also) in double digits, and five that scored at least 8.
Jekyll-Hyde officiating: I usually find the NCAA officials to be much better than the NBA officials, but I'm not a huge fan of Ed Hightower. I feel like he's been grandfathered in, and we're all supposed to smile and not say anything when he messes up. He almost had a big no-no today when he failed to pick up on a 10 second backcourt after an Evan Turner deflection left the shot clock from scUM at 24 seconds. The only reason it was called, in fact, was because of the deflection out of bounds. Also, the Bucks picked up just 3 fouls in the first half yet were called for 3 in the first 42 seconds of the second half, including a really ticky-tack seal/moving pick on Lauderdale for his 3rd foul nine seconds in. The Wolverines were in the double bonus with several minutes left in the game thanks to the tightening up of calls. I hate nothing more than when officials call a game one way then switch it halfway through. Despite the tight calls, Turner was the victim of a couple of no calls late, including one that set up a key three for the Wolverines in the final minute.
Harris heats up: Manny Harris was downright phenomenal in the second half, scoring 22 of his 26, and he hit several tough, contested shots in the final minute. My one beef would be that the Bucks didn't switch David Lighty onto him instead of William Buford. Lighty has the ability to shut anyone in college basketball down with his athleticism and disciplined D. Harris had 11 points in the final 4:09 of the game and 2 buckets in the final 30 seconds, including the apparent game-winner with 2.2 seconds on the clock. That set the stage for one of the best shots in Buckeye history.
ET says "Phone home, Michigan!": U of M really set OSU up for success on this play by not guarding the inbound and having only one defender in the backcourt. Buford screened that defender as Lighty hit Turner a third of the way up the court, Turner knew he had two dribbles and a launch in him. He let it go with a hand in his face, leaning forward, from about 40 feet out. He knew it as soon as it left his hand as it was pure, sending the Bucks onto another day of Big Ten play.
Game ball goes to: Evan Turner. Is there really any question? If I blogged enough Ohio State games, I would probably have to institute the same rule I do for LBJ game balls, "He has to do something above his average output". Well, he certainly did with a shot that will be remembered, in particular if things go well for OSU in the tournament, for a long, long time. Turner posted 18 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 40 minutes. While he shot just 6-for-15 from the floor, he hit the last one that really counted, and he showed through his penetration and creation how he can help the Buckeye cause in other ways.
Team Grade: C+
Survive and conquer is the name of the game this time of the year, and Michigan played much more like their preseason expectations than their 15-17 record. With that being said, the Bucks aren't going to get away with that type of play from here on out. Ohio State shot 52%, which is almost normal, but they allowed Michigan to shoot 49%, something quite abnormal. They let Harris explode on them in the 2nd half, and they were outrebounded on the glass 23-21, including giving up 8 offensive boards. On a positive, the Bucks did have 13 assists on 27 field goals, and they turned it over just 10 times after having 5 in the first 10 minutes.
The win now gives Matta a 11-2 record against Michigan, which combined with Tressel's 8-2 mark against Michigan "football", gives Ohio State a .826 winning percentage against that team up north in the Matta-Tressel era. Ohio State survives as the top seed and awaits the winner between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers.
Let's go Bucks!
Kirk
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