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Men's Basketball
Everything about Ohio State's 82-61 win over Penn State was impressive. The defense, the offense, the emotion, the effort, the toughness, Jon Diebler's ability to crush the will of an entire group of men, and also the ball movement.
Buckeye Watch - Penn State
By Tony Gerdeman
Everything was working at a high level. As I watched the game, it became apparent that for the Buckeyes to lose again this season, they will have to play poorly for it to happen.
Basically, they aren't going to lose if they play well. Nobody can play with them when they're at their best.
Generally, it's dangerous to extract any conclusions based on games against Penn State, but this Nittany Lion team is fairly decent, and it was Senior Night, but the Buckeyes never blinked. They went full bore and Penn State never had a chance.
If this is the Buckeyes peaking, I think I like the view from up here.
And if it isn't yet peaking, then I think I'm gonna need some oxygen.
9:00 Gus Johnson is doing the game. This has me more worried than I was before. Even though the Buckeyes never lose at Penn State, nothing about this game seems like it's going to be easy. I'm expecting Talor Battle to score 50. In each half.9:06 It's a White Out at Penn State, which means nobody should be run over by Joe Paterno tonight since everybody's brightly dressed.
9:09 This game has started very slowly. The Buckeyes have turned it over twice and missed their first two shots. Fortunately, Penn State has yet to do anything either.
9:11 William Buford gets the scoring started with a kiss off of the glass. Maybe he should bank everything tonight.
9:12 Jon Diebler nails his first three-point attempt. No flatness there. Buckeyes lead it 5-2.
9:13 Ouch! Another banker from Buford. As Gus Johnson said, “Oh my goodness.” That wasn't an easy shot.
9:14 Talor Battle hits his first three of the game. It was an NBA three.
9:15 Two more in the post from Buford. All three of his baskets have come down low. This is clearly not an accident.
9:16 There's an alley-oop to Dallas Lauderdale for the dunk, though I'm not sure that shouldn't have been basket interference, because it looked like it was inside the cylinder. I'll wait for a worse call to start complaining about the refs.
9:17 Lauderdale now has two fouls. Aaron Craft comes in for him. Jared Sullinger should have his second foul in about two minutes.
9:20 Steal by Craft. Clockwork. Tick tock and you don't stop.
9:22 Sullinger snatches rebounds like a Big Momma snapping her purse shut when she catches you looking for candy. That's how people lose fingers!
9:26 Another steal for Craft and it leads to a fastbreak three-pointer for Diebler. Assist for Craft. He who taketh also giveth. He robs from the poor and gives to the rich. That three-pointer for Diebler now gives him both the official and unofficial three-point record for the Big Ten. The unofficial record was 339 by Michigan's Louis Bullock, but his records were erased because he is Michigan's Louis Bullock.
9:27 Sullinger hits a couple of free throws, giving the Buckeyes an 18-8 lead with 9:02 remaining in the half. Nice start. About time for Talor Battle to do something new though.
9:29 Steal and dunk by Buford. William Buford will see your Senior Night, and dunk you in the FACE with it! Penn State timeout.
9:35 There are some bricks being thrown up from three-point land by both teams. As long as the Buckeyes stay up by ten points, however, I'm okay with this scenario.
9:37 Diebler shows everybody how it's done with a three-pointer. Gus calls him “Deebo”, a reference from the movie 'Friday'. Also, Dallas Lauderdale is 'Big Perm'...I mean 'Big Worm'.
9:38 Wow, Talor Battle just stripped Sullinger clean and got called for a foul. Now the crowd is chanting “---hole” at either Sullinger or the ref, or possibly both.
9:42 Sullinger got an offensive foul for...butting. Ed Dechelis and company were screaming at the refs the entire time. I didn't realize you couldn't back a guy down. (You can!)
9:43 To quote Gus Johnson, “Diebler again...Ugh.” Another three for the Master of the Three. Buckeyes lead it 30-14 with 2:38 to play. This has been pretty impressive right here.
9:45 Jared Sullinger falls down again. He goes to the floor more often than...? Any ideas? A breakdancing mop?
9:46 Oh my! Diebler again, this time around a screen from 25 feet away. The flatness is dead. He's got 15 points now. Buckeyes lead it 33-18 with 35 seconds to play.
9:47 Penn State has the final possession and Battle faces off with Aaron Craft. Instead of trying to drive against him, he takes a 26-footer, which he misses again. He didn't feel like getting picked like a hog at a roast.
9:49 After some shenanigans with the clock, the half ends with the Buckeyes leading 33-18. Thad Matta has a few words with the refs and somehow Ed Dechelis can contain himself and doesn't need to start yelling at Matta or the refs. Take notes, Tom Crean.
10:02 Aaron Craft is winning the battle with The Battle tonight. Talor Battle is 1-4 from three and hasn't really sparked much of anything.
10:03 The Buckeyes are shooting 50% from the field, compared to 26.1% for the Nittany Lions. Jeff Brooks, whoever that is, is 1-8 from the field. Should he really be shooting more than Battle, especially if he's only going to make 12.5% of his shots?
10:06 I assume Penn State is going to make a run tonight, since that's what the Buckeyes seem wont to do. I'm just wondering if the Nittany Lions are interested in trying.
10:08 Penn State starts off the second half by missing a shot and getting called for a loose-ball foul. Same as it ever was.
10:09 Nice! David Lighty makes a three and Sullinger gets pushed in the back as he's trying to get position. Okay, so it was a two-pointer, which counted, and now the Buckeyes get the ball back.
10:10 Nicer! Buford with a three from the top of the key. It's 38-18 right now, and there's another steal by Craft, but it leads to a Sullinger offensive foul. Tim Frazier took the charge. Somebody should check his mental faculties. Why would you step in front of Jared Sulliner in a 20-point game? Don't you want to see your family again? Are you a masochist? Is there some underlying guilt from something that happened to you in your past?
10:11 Jared Sullinger just got his pocket picked...or fouled, rather. No call, and his shoulder is buzzing. He's hurt, and the crowd is cheering. He stays in though. That's what tiger blood and Adonis DNA can do for you.
10:12 Craft for three from the top of the key. Winning. Buckeyes up 41-22 with 16:48 to play.
10:14 Are you serious? Another three by Diebler, and that one was the least-close to the rim of them all. Splash off the screen.
10:15 Another steal by Craft. Another sick three by Deebo! Threebo! That's his seventh three-pointer of the game, and that was a step-back special. I'm guessing he's going to be trending on Twitter tonight. Buckeyes lead it 51-27. Wow.
10:24 Another steal by Craft. I should just start copying and pasting this. Buckeyes lead it 55-33.
10:27 William Buford is ridiculous, and playing his last season at Ohio State. He just hit another three from the top of the key. This isn't just a regular clinic tonight, this is a Mayo Clinic.
10:28 Oh my goodness. A secondary fastbreak leads to Buford handing it back to Diebler for his eighth three-pointer in nine attempts. How do you beat this team if they aren't struggling?
10:30 The Buckeyes are doing anything they want to do on offense. They could break into a line dance and still get a silky jumper from Buford. Speaking of which, he just hit another 18-footer. Every time he shoots a jumper, I hear Aaron Neville singing in the background. Buckeyes by a lot.
10:36 Hey Penn State, LOL at your Senior Night.
10:40 Jon Freaking Diebler just hit his ninth three, which ties his career high. He's made eight in a row. The Nittany Lions are going to kick themselves when they realize that they should have guarded him.
10:41 Diebler drives the lane and drops it to Deshaun Thomas for the dunk. His driving has picked up the last month and we're seeing the benefits of it. Buckeyes lead it 73-52 with three minutes and change to play.
10:47 There's number ten for Jon Diebler. He owns the Ohio State career record, the Big Ten career record, and now the single-game Ohio State and Big Ten record. He's got 30 points. Not too shabby.
10:48 He finally missed. Time to yank him. He's coming out. That's what happens when you miss, you loser! Buckeyes lead it 77-54.
10:51 Deshaun Thomas caps the game with a three of his own. Actually, there's still a minute left, so he has time for six more.
10:52 Maybe Jon Diebler exorcised the Crispin demons tonight.
10:53 Some dude for Penn State is making baskets and the crowd is going crazy. It's good that they finally had something to cheer about tonight. That's ballgame. Buckeyes win it 82-61.
10:56 Charissa Thompson just talked to Jon Diebler and mentioned that he received a standing ovation as he left the game, except the crowd was actually cheering Talor Battle. The only way a Penn State crowd would cheer a Buckeye player leaving the court is if he left in a body bag or in cuffs. Or cuffed in a body bag.
10:57 Well, that was a fun game while it lasted, but enjoying it is almost over. It's just about time to think about paybacks against the Badgers. The Buckeyes are about to deal with it all over Wisconsin's stupid faces!
10:58 By the way, it's okay to hate Wisconsin because they border Michigan, and it's also very close to Canada. Two wrongs don't make a single right in this case.
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