Ohio State 20-Point Run Puts Away Minnesota
February 14, 2012

Ohio State pounced early and never let Minnesota get too close as the sixth-ranked Buckeyes beat the Gophers 78-68. “We executed on offense early,” said Ohio State coach Thad Matta, adding that the Buckeyes got a “tremendous boost” from their bench. Minnesota coach Tubby Smith lamented another slow start from his team, particularly a “drop off” from his second squad.

Senior guard William Buford made his first four baskets and scored 10 of the first 15 Ohio State points, breaking a 12-12 tie with a three-point basket. A key point, according to Matta, came when Minnesota center Ralph Sampson picked up his second foul less than six-and-a-half minutes into the game. As Jared Sullinger, tapped as the pre-season player of the year in the country, was making both free throws, Sampson hit the bench along with three other starters, and Oto Osenieks, Joe Coleman, Chip Armelin, and Elliott Eliason came in for the Gophers.

The Buckeyes added to their 17-12 lead with another 15-point lead, completing a 20-point run. Smith said the attitude of his reserves, which included Maverick Ahanmisi, was one of “‘I need to score,’ rather than, ‘We need to score.’”

The Buckeyes twice built the lead to 21 with Eliason and Andre Ingram playing the post in the place of Sampson for the rest of the half. However, the Gophers began shutting down Ohio State and made a run of their own with Eliason and Osenieks on the floor along with starters Rodney Williams, Austin Hollins, and Julian Welch. Matta said, “I’m not sure what we were doing on defense,” regarding that stretch that got Minnesota to within 10 points in the final minute of the half. Buford then added a cushion in the final seconds with a high-arching field goal from the right baseline that went over the corner of the backboard and through the basket. Buford and Sullinger each had 12 points in the half.

The Buckeyes scored the first five points of the second half, making the score 45-28 and then allowed the Gophers to make a mild comeback. Sampson picked up his third foul with 18:35 left and didn’t return until under five-and-a-half minutes were left in the game.

Ohio State seemed bothered by Minnesota’s zone defense, but Buford continued to hit big shots from both two- and three-point range. Matta said he had told Buford, “Take what they give you.”

The Gophers never cut the gap to fewer than eight points the rest of the way. Smith said his team allowed too many second-shots by the Buckeyes, and credited Ohio State with its aggressiveness on rebounding and fighting for loose balls. “It’s about extra effort, and I was really disappointed we didn’t get the extra effort,” said Smith. “We expect a lot more of our guys, and I didn’t see it.”

Ohio State, which came into the game tied for the Big Ten lead with Michigan State after losing to the Spartans in Columbus, improved its conference record to 10-3 while Minnesota is now 5-8 in the Big Ten.