OSU-IND: Buckeyes Get First Conference Win With Turner Back In Action

Ohio State got a lift last night as Evan Turner returned to action several weeks ahead of schedule. Turner had eight points and five rebounds in limited action as the Buckeyes beat Indiana 79-54.

Diebler picked up the slack and shook his scoring slump to score a team high 21 points. William Buford, who has been fairly impressive in Turner’s absence, stepped up with 16 points as the only other Buckeye in double figures.

The Buckeyes needed this win as they started conference play off 0-2 with two dismal performances. Ohio State shot 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc. They took a 38-20 lead into the half and outscored the Hoosiers 41-34 in the second half.

The Buckeye defense was too tough for the Hoosiers as only two players managed to get into double figures in scoring.

Verdell Jones III had a game high 22 points and Christian Watford chipped in 11 points.

Indiana shot 34 percent from the field with an atrocious 22 percent from three-point range. The Hoosiers are now 7-7 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

Ohio State (11-4) get another tough season test when it takes on Minnesota (11-4) this Saturday. The Buckeyes begin a tough stretch of conference play that includes Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and West Virginia.

Having Turner back in the line up gives hope to the Buckeye faithful for a potential run at the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes are going to have to beat Purdue or Michigan State in order to gain some conference respect this season.

They currently have 11 wins and will need at least 20 on the season to be considered for tournament play. Adding Turner back into the line up makes this a real probability, where as before they seemed destined to make the NIT, if that.