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Men's Basketball
Turner’s Big Weekend Lock Up National POY?
By Brandon CastelINDIANAPOLIS – John Wall or Evan Turner?
Evan Turner or John Wall?
Evan Turner
Photo by Jim DavidsonThe debate for National Player of the Year has been one of the hottest topics this basketball season, not to mention one of the mostly tightly contested battles in recent years.
The two point guards, one a junior at Ohio State and the other a freshman at Kentucky, guided their respective teams to a top-five ranking in the Associated Press and a conference championship during the regular season.
They also guided their respective schools, which happen to come from neighboring Midwest states, to conference tournament titles Sunday, with the Buckeyes hammering Minnesota 90-61 and the Wildcats clipping Mississippi State 75-74 in overtime.
Turner went for 31 and 11 against the Gophers while Wall scored seven of his 17 points in the overtime against the Bulldogs. He also dished out nine assists as both players earned MVP honors in their respective tournaments.
It was Turner’s heroics, however, over the three days in Indianapolis that could separate him from a race that entered the weekend too close to call.
“I think he just locked up the National Player of the Year,” teammate, classmate and roommate Jon Diebler said after watching Turner dominate the second half of Sunday’s title game.
Evan Turner was head and shoulders above the competition at the Big Ten tournament.
Photo by Jim Davidson“Nothing against the other guys, Evan’s just been having a great year so far.”
He was the Big Ten Player of the Year during the regular season, when he averaged 19.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for the first-place Buckeyes, but even that could not have prepared the rest of the conference for what they were going to get from the 6-foot-7 junior over the last three days of the tournament.
After capturing national attention with a 37-foot buzzer beater against Michigan in the quarterfinals of the tournament, Turner posted back-to-back 31-point performances in the semifinals and finals. He averaged nearly 27 points per game over the weekend to go with 8.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists while leading his team to another trophy.
“I think that probably has to go down as one of the greatest Big Ten Conference Tournament championship performances,” OSU Head Coach Thad Matta said of Turner, who scored 80 points in 72 hours.
Evan Turner looks determined as he drives. His defender looks...worried.
Photo by Jim Davidson“When you look at the body of work over the weekend, from the half-court shot, what he did in overtime yesterday and what he did today. I know I’ve been in the league for six years. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
It was one of those “try and stop me moments” for Turner that just seemed to keep going and going.
A day after hitting the stunner from nearly half court, Turner scored 12 of Ohio State’s 22 points in the two overtimes against Illinois before dropping 23 on the Gophers in the second half of Sunday’s championship game.
“When the time called for it, I just tried to step up and make plays,” said Turner.
“Coach Matta really told me (to) take over when I could.”
And take over he did.
Take nothing away from Wall, who averaged 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds per game during Kentucky’s SEC Tournament title run, but this was a weekend of total domination by one player who wanted it more than anyone else on the court.
He willed the Buckeyes to victories over Michigan and Illinois before going for 31, 11 and six Sunday in a game that often looked like he was toying with Lawrence Westbrook and his Gopher teammates.
“In high school I had a pretty good three days in a Christmas tournament. Difference situations, different levels but it was a good weekend for the team in general,” said Turner, who quickly tried to turn the conversation towards his teammates.
But there was no denying Turner’s greatness on the same court where legends like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller once had theirs on display. With the NBA likely right around the corner for the Chicago native, he may have silenced some critics of his outside shot with a remarkable 7-for-11 performance from behind the arc in the three games.
“I was just trying to take what the defense gave me,” said Turner, who shot less than 30 percent from 3-point range during the regular season.
“In the first game vs. Michigan they were just trying to lock up my drive and even yesterday they were trying to lock up my drive. I was just trying to take what they were going to give me.”
When he’s doing that, there’s no stopping him – literally – and the next thing he might be given is the Naismith Award.
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