Hoosiers match up well with thin Buckeyes

When reflecting on IU’s Dec. 8 win against now-No. 23 Pittsburgh, it does no good to hang on to the fact that junior Gilbert Brown wasn’t in the lineup and senior Jermaine Dixon saw limited action in what was his first game following a significant injury.

Looking back at the Hoosiers’ 71-65 win versus Michigan on Dec. 31, it does not make a lot of sense either for anyone outside the team and perhaps the media to focus on the fact that the Wolverines missed 19 3-point attempts.

For a team as young and inexperienced as IU, one building an actual NCAA Tournament resume in only the unlikeliest of scenarios, a win versus a top-level opponent is a win no matter the circumstances.

It’s about things such as building confidence, developing as individual players and as a team and learning how to play and handle the pressure in various environments.   

So if Ohio State’s Evan Turner doesn’t suit up tonight versus the Hoosiers, or simply plays an insignificant amount of minutes, it is what it is.

A potential 2-0 record in the Big Ten for the Hoosiers would be exactly that, whether they would have to beat a short-handed Buckeye squad or one led by the midseason Wooden Award candidate.

With Turner at 100 percent – which, even if he plays, is doubtful – IU stands little chance playing at Value City Arena; without “ET,” the Hoosiers match up quite well. And watching the Buckeyes struggle versus Michigan on Sunday, Ohio State looked very beatable.

Though the Buckeyes’ three losses since the Turner back injury – Butler by 12, Wisconsin by 22 and Michigan by 9 – all came on the road, Ohio State has yet to be tested at home since their star guard was sidelined on Dec. 5.

While the Buckeyes are 80-2 at home versus unranked opponents under coach Thad Matta and also hold a 35-7 record at “The Schott” versus Big Ten opponents the last five years, expect the Hoosiers to seriously challenge their conference rival on Wednesday night.

Why IU can win

1.    Bucks hurting

Though Ohio State managed to climb back up to No. 15 in the country a week ago, college basketball fans didn’t need to see them fall to 0-2 in the Big Ten to show us what we already knew – the Buckeyes are not a Top 25 team without Turner. The team’s entire offense ran through the 6-foot-7 junior, and the whole dynamics of the team changed when he injured his back.

Even when he was not scoring, Turner got his teammates open. Junior sharpshooter Jon Diebler, for instance, averaged 17.1 points and hit an impressive 52.2 percent of his 3s in the eight games with Turner in the lineup. Since then, Diebler has recorded 10.2 points per game and hit 36.1 percent of his 3s in the subsequent six games. While those numbers are certainly respectable, anyone who has watched the Buckeyes before and after has seen Ohio State struggle to effectively create its own shots without Turner.

If IU can play tough man-to-man defense and limit the number of open 3s shot by the Buckeyes – something they struggled with against Michigan – it could bode well for the Hoosiers.


2.    Depth

While the impact of the season ending injury to freshman Maurice Creek has not truly been seen quite yet, there is no doubt it should hinder the Hoosiers. Though IU has only so much talent coming off the bench, especially with Creek and also sophomore Matt Roth out, IU coach Tom Crean can still comfortably run at least nine guys out there. Not Ohio State.

With Turner sidelined, Matta has essentially gone just seven deep. Following the mid-season transfer of Walter Offutt, the Buckeyes were left with just 14 players – but four are walk-ons and two are big men who see purely garbage minutes. Seeing that Turner is hurt, Ohio State has relied on just seven guys.

Diebler, junior David Lighty and sophomore William Buford have combined to play 16 full 40-minute games. Senior P.J. Hill has been forced into the starting point guard role, despite looking like more of a solid reserve. Junior Dallas Lauderdale, meanwhile is the lone big man in the starting lineup, and though he has definitely improved and also averages 3 blocks per game, he is the Buckeyes’ only legitimate post player.

Senior Jeremie Simmons is a good shooter off the bench, but is small for a shooting guard and doesn’t penetrate very well as a point guard. Lastly, senior center Kyle Madsen is providing only 2.3 points and 2.1 points in just 12.1 minutes per game.


3.    Jeremiah Rivers

Junior Jeremiah Rivers came up real big for the Hoosiers versus Michigan last Sunday. Guarding the extremely talented junior Manny Harris, Rivers held the Michigan guard to just 13 points – 7 points below his average – on just 4-of-11 shooting. Four days later, Harris torched Ohio State for 24 points. With Rivers likely guarding either Lighty or Buford – both of whom have significantly increased their offensive production in Turner’s absence – shutting one of them down will vastly improve IU’s chances.

IU might be forced to play freshman Christian Watford on Diebler, which could have mixed results, but the Hoosiers need to find a way to slow down one of the other two main scoring options via Rivers.


PREDICTION: I was correct in picking IU to edge Michigan, but maybe I am getting ahead of myself by thinking the Hoosiers can do the same on the road at Ohio State. Surely with Turner playing everything will change, but it seems highly unlikely that he will play a big role – if any at all. Again, the Hoosiers matchup well in this one, though both Buford and Simmons posted career-high scoring totals versus IU on Jan. 31, 2009. A road contest against even an under-manned Ohio State squad could be a good barometer for the Hoosiers as they move forward and surely a win would be huge long-term. So why not let the magic live on a bit longer?

IU 70, Ohio State 67