After a loss last Saturday ended its undefeated season and 27-game regular season winning streak, the Ohio State men’s basketball team got back on track on Tuesday night against Michigan State.
Behind junior William Buford’s game-high 23 points, the No. 3 Buckeyes (25-1, 12-1 Big 10) downed the Spartans (14-11, 6-7 Big 10), 71-61.
Even with star forward and National Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger being held to just 11 points and two rebounds – well short of his season averages – it was Buford and other role players who made key plays down the stretch to preserve the victory.
With just under 10 minutes to play and the score at 53-51 in favor of OSU, Buford knocked down a 3-pointer followed by a 15-footer to extend the Buckeyes’ advantage to 58-51.
MSU would never recover from Buford’s consecutive jumpers, only bringing the deficit as close as five, as OSU rolled on for its 19th straight home victory.
Jon Diebler and David Lighty added 12 points each for the Buckeyes in the win, while Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 14 points in the losing effort.
Next up for OSU is a trip to West Lafayette, Ind. for a showdown with Purdue on Sunday, which will be nationally televised on CBS.
‘Nova edges Seton Hall
With second-leading scorer Corey Stokes out with a turf toe injury, Villanova looked to freshman James Bell to fill his role Tuesday night in a matchup with Seton Hall.
Bell did just that, pouring in 21 points, and leading the No. 15 Wildcats (20-6, 8-5 Big East) past the Pirates (11-15, 5-9 Big East), 60-57.
VU was able to overcome 20 turnovers, compared to SHU’s 7, and kept the score tied at halftime at 28-28, before Bell spurred some runs in the second frame.
The Wildcats made a slew of mistakes in the next three minutes, letting the Pirates go on a 7-0 run to bring them to within two with just over two minutes to play.
Another basket by Bell followed by two free-throws by SHU’s Herb Pope kept it a two point game, and with 40 seconds remaining, Corey Fisher dribbled the ball off his leg to give the Pirates back possession.
Jeremy Hazell proceeded to miss his ensuing layup, Antonio Pena made one of two free throws, and Hazell’s last-second, game-tying 3-pointer opportunity hit off the rim and VU escaped with the victory.
Hazell scored a game-high 25 points for SHU in the loss.
Kentucky outlasts MSU
It didn’t come easy, but in a rematch of last season’s SEC championship game, Kentucky prevailed against Mississippi State Tuesday night with an 85-79 victory to extend its record at home under head coach John Calipari to 30-0.
Brandon Knight recorded 24 points and seven assists, Doron Lamb added 20 points and Terrence Jones posted a double-double effort with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the No. 22 Wildcats past the Bulldogs.
After trailing by one at halftime, UK took its first lead of the game early in the second half on a Josh Harrelson layup.
Calipari then instructed his players to shift to a full court press, which worked, as the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run.
MSU pulled within two, at 65-63, but UK went on another run to increase its lead to 83-70, and the Bulldogs were never able to get back into the game.
Ravern Johnson sparked MSU off the bench, leading the team with 21 points, including going 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-7 from the foul line in the loss.
Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].
