Ohio State Cruises Past Penn State

No. 3 Ohio State (18-3) rolled past the over-matched Nittany Lions Wednesday night as the Buckeyes handed Penn State a 78-54 beatdown in Columbus.

Jared Sullinger scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in just 27 minutes, his ninth double-double of the season. William Buford continued his strong play of late with 15 points (3-6 from three) while grabbing nine rebounds and Aaron Craft went 4-4 from the field, scoring 11 points in just over 20 minutes.

The Buckeyes shot 50% from the field overall and passed the ball extremely well -- especially on the interior -- assisting on 16 of their 25 made field goals. With the blowout nature of the game -- all 13 players that suited up played, and 10 of the 13 scored. The Buckeyes got valuable minutes out of freshman Sam Thompson (who has become Ohio State’s sixth man because of Sibert’s struggles) and Amir Williams. Thompson collected six points, three assists, two blocks, two rebounds and no turnovers and Williams had two points, four rebounds and three blocks in just eight minutes. Matta was able to go that deep into his bench because his team was up 30 with 10 minutes to go in the second half.

On defense, Ohio State smothered the Nittany Lions. Penn State shot just 31% from the field, but even that was an accomplishment after the way the game began. Ohio State held the Nittany Lions scoreless through five minutes of play as they started the game missing 10 of their first 11 shots. Buford and Craft carried the Buckeyes early as Ohio state built a 24-6 lead early. It wasn’t very competitive getting to that point, but after 15 minutes of game time, the outcome was inevitable.

Penn State coach Patrick Chambers  knew it was going to be a long night before it even started, “I said earlier today even though they (Ohio State) don’t have the shooters they did a year ago, collectively, as a unit, they play hard and they defend,” Chambers said. “Every shot was contested and they sped us up. People don’t see that. They speed us up on layups and they speed us up on jump shots. They are athletic and quick.””

The Buckeyes can now look forward to their upcoming game against rival Michigan -- which will be played this Sunday in Columbus at 1:00. Both Ohio State and Michigan are tied for first place with a conference record of 6-2 (as well as Michigan State). The winner of the game Sunday will have sole possession of first place in the league until Michigan State plays Illinois next Tuesday.

Sullinger wants to carry the success they had against Penn State over to the Michigan game, "It was a great tuneup. We've got Michigan coming up next. We're just going to focus on them and getting ready to play."

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