Spartans Bully Buckeyes in Columbus

Ohio State was just four days removed from scoring 87 points off of 52% shooting against Purdue when they hosted Michigan State Saturday evening. The Buckeyes team that took the court against Sparty looked nothing like they did four days ago, or nothing like a team that had won 39 straight games at home. Ohio State shot just 14-53 from the field (26%) against the Spartans as Michigan State bullied their way to a 58-48 victory.

Michigan State’s defense was relentless the entire game. The Spartans controlled every inch of the floor, out-muscling the Buckeyes in the paint while pushing the pace and wearing down the home team in transition. Michigan State outscored Ohio State 30-12 in the paint, a differential that seemed outright impossible with Sullinger roaming the low-post. The Spartans flustered Ohio State’s All-American as Sullinger shot just 5-15 (33%) from the floor, his worst shooting-percentage of the season. Although his stat line was impressive -- he scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds -- Sullinger committed a career high 10 turnovers against the Spartans.

It may have been his worst performance in a Buckeye uniform, and he talked about it after the game, “Most of the turnovers I had were me going up for shots. I wasn’t expecting the double (coverage) because that’s not what Michigan State shows on the film,” Sullinger said. “They dig but they don’t dig like they did today. We have to give them credit.”

Matta later talked about Ohio State’s struggles on offense, “You have to make a shot, have to put the ball in the basket. Some of the looks we had down the stretch were rough,” Matta said. “I’m not taking anything away from Michigan State; they had a lot to do with it. I thought our defense was good enough, but you can’t shoot 25 percent.”

Although Michigan State struggled on offense, they made enough plays to win the game. The Spartans shot 40% from the field and committed 15 turnovers, but a surprising performance from the usually defensive-minded Adreian Payne lifted the Spartanas. Payne scored a career-high 15 points on 6-6 shooting against the Buckeyes, and combined with his defensive performance against Sullinger, Payne was probably the most important player on the floor.

It was all Michigan State in the first half. The Buckeyes were able to build a 9-4 lead through five minutes, but the Spartans turned up the heat on defense and suffocated the Buckeyes. Michigan State controlled the paint on both ends of the court, frustrating Sullinger into five first half turnovers. The Spartans dominated a nine minute stretch where they went on an 18-5 run, silencing the home crowd. During that run, Ohio State missed 12 consecutive shots with their five points coming from the free throw line. A 3-pointer from Sullinger seemed to spark the Buckeyes, but Michigan State responded with five quick, unanswered points.

The Spartans shot 15-32 (47%) from the field, bolstered by seven offensive rebounds. The Buckeyes only connected on seven of their 21 field goal attempts (33%) while committing eight turnovers. Michigan State outrebounded Ohio State 18-13 through 20 minutes as Draymond Green and Adreian Payne controlled the paint. Payne was key for Michigan State, going 5-5 from the field for 11 first half points. The Spartans closed out the first half on a 5-0 run and took a 35-25 lead into the locker room at half time.

The second half played out a lot like the first. The Buckeyes fought hard to get back in the game, making a multitude of runs at the staunch Spartans. The home crowd was waiting to erupt every time Ohio State chipped Michigan State’s lead down to five or six, but every time, the Spartans answered.

“It’s got to be a learning experience for a relatively young basketball team,” Matta said. “We have to look at why we didn’t play well and get those things corrected.” He later added, “We’re still sitting at the top of the conference. As I told them, ‘hey we’ll see what kind of team we have tomorrow when we come back for practice.”

The Buckeyes will have to wait a little over three weeks to try and avenge the loss as they travel to East Lansing on Sunday, March 4 for a rematch.

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