OSU scored points at frenetic pace, rarely missed a shot in the first half and piled up assists on countless uncontested drives to the basket.
View full sizeOhio State's William Buford has no problem getting this shot off cleanly against VMI's Stan Okoye (11) and Quinton Upshur during the first half of the Buckeyes' lopsided victory Wednesday night at Value City Arena. COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men's basketball team will eat its Thanksgiving dinner at the home of coach Thad Matta.
The Buckeyes began their holiday feast a day early, however, stuffing the box score Wednesday night like it was a golden-brown Butterball. OSU scored points at frenetic pace, rarely missed a shot in the first half and piled up assists on countless uncontested drives to the basket.
Yes, the outburst came at the expense of Virginia Military Institute, a mid-major too busy shooting 3-pointers to be bothered with things like defense. It was nevertheless a festive and productive night for those clad in scarlet and gray as the Buckeyes coasted to a 107-74 win in Value City Arena.
A crowd of 13,660 fans saw OSU improve to 5-0 and establish season highs for points, assists (30) and field-goal percentage (67.6). It was the most points scored by Ohio State at home since Dec. 5, 2009 in a 111-47 victory over Eastern Michigan.
The No. 3 Buckeyes return to action Friday with a visit from Valparaiso before a showdown against Duke on Tuesday.
A lot of OSU players left the arena Wednesday feeling good about their games. Senior William Buford scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while sophomore Jared Sullinger collected 17 points and 12 rebounds for his 21st career double-double. Guard Aaron Craft distributed eight assists to go along with 13 points.
"Throughout this week Coach has been on us about making more shots," said Craft of a team that entered the VMI game shooting 46.8 percent from the field. "One of the things we need to do better is to take better shots and one of the best ways to do so is get the ball inside to Jared and DT [DeShaun Thomas] ... That just opens it up for everybody else."
Matta was intrigued to see how his young but talented team would react to the fast-breaking Keydets (3-2), who have led Division I in scoring the past five seasons. They also were the pace setters in 3-point baskets last season, converting 11.3 per game.
Would the Buckeyes get sucked into that style?
"That's one of the things we talked about going into the game," Matta said. "You can fall into a trap when you play a team like this. I don't want to say you lose your mind but all of a sudden you are hoopin'.
"We didn't want to do that. We wanted to stay with the game plan."
The Buckeyes opened by converting 16 of their first 19 shots to build a 36-17 lead. They finished the night 67.6 percent from the floor, often finding Sullinger in the blocks and other teammates cutting to the basket. It was certainly a confidence-building night for Buford, who had been shooting 41.7 percent.
The Keydets cut the deficit to 13 points at halftime, but OSU pulled away early in the second half thanks to a 32-7 run.
"I have a saying that we try to shoot it before we turn it over and that wasn't the case in the second half," VMI coach Duggar Baucom said. "I think that was credit to [Ohio State]."
What did the Keydets get out of their trip to Columbus?
"[About] $85,000 to be perfectly honest with you," Baucom said of the money game. "I tell [Matta], 'We will play but it will cost you.'"
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: treed@plaind.com, 216-999-4370
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2011/11/ohio_state_gobbles_up_a_win_ag.html
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