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Ohio State had a long, hard look at how the next eight to 10 weeks of its season will be. The Buckeyes struggled without the injured Evan Turner on both sides of the court and it was obvious his leadership is sorely missed during a 74-66 loss to Butler Saturday.
Turnovers and fouls didn’t help the Buckeyes, but shooting 29 percent from three-point range and 49 percent from the field really hurt in the second half. On the game, Ohio State had 11 turnovers and three starters in foul trouble.
Jon Diebler, a player expected to step up in Turner’s absence, had seven points. His lack of production was accentuated with a brick late in the second half that put him at 0-of-5 from the field. He finished 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point range.
David Lighty had a solid game with 16 points and seven rebounds, as did William Buford who added 20 points and seven rebounds. Buford has continued to play well in these last few games and hopefully continues to peak with his increased playing time.
Dallas Lauderdale was an enforcer in the paint, but still gets unnecessary fouls for being too aggressive. His 12 points and four rebounds were a highlight. His four personal fouls in the second half were a low light.
The point guards, PJ Hill and Jeremie Simmons, struggled as well against the stifling Bulldog defense. Simmons had 11 points, but they came after Butler had the game in hand. Hill, on the other hand, had a game he’d rather forget with one turnover and no points. Ohio State needs these two to step up. Performances like these will hinder the struggling Buckeye offense every time.
Butler had four starters in double figures. Gordon Hayward had 24 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc. They owned several double-digit leads over the Buckeyes in both halves.
Ohio State is a good team, but Butler outplayed them today. Ohio State will continue to struggle until either Diebler, Lighty, or even Buford steps up to be the new team leader. Thad Matta will have his hands full for the rest of the season either way, as it only gets harder once Big Ten play begins in a few weeks. One thing Matta can be proud of is that even in a loosing effort, when his team played poorly, they never gave up and kept clawing the entire game.
Ohio State (7-2) will try to pick up the pieces against Presbyterian (2-7) on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. This should be a perfect time for the Buckeyes to gain some renewed confidence and allow for a easy win in front of the home crowd.
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