Koufos tallied a game high 19 pts plus 7 rebs
Ohio State picked up their second win in as many nights posting a 68-54 victory over Columbia in the 2nd round of the NIT Preseason Tip-Off. The Buckeyes will take on Syracuse next Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden.
Fighting off another slow start, the Buckeyes closed the first half on a 14-3 run to take a 33-26 lead at intermission and later used a 12-0 spurt to boost the lead to 48-35 with just over 12 minutes left in the game.
The Buckeyes maintained a double-digit lead over the last 10 minutes and led by as many as 16 thanks in large part to OSU's matchup zone defense and superior athleticism. Using a distinct height and length advantage to cover the paint, the Buckeyes forced Columbia to launch 31 of their 56 shots from beyond the arc and held the Lions to 0 two point FGs for over 12 minutes allowing just 7 two point FGs for the game.
Jamar Butler had another outstanding all around effort with 18 points (4 treys) and 7 rebounds while Kosta Koufos led the Buckeyes with 19 points (8/12 FG) to go along with 7 boards. Rounding out the balanced attack, David Lighty backed up last night's career game with 13 points and Othello Hunter added 7 points and 9 rebounds. Off the bench, freshman Evan Turner looked a little more comfortable chipping in 6 points and 5 rebounds.
The Buckeyes shot just 6/20 (30%) from downtown but made 20/32 (63%) from inside the arc and overwhelmed the Lions on the glass (37-23). Besides showing the matchup zone almost exclusively, Matta employed a soft full court press late in the game. Both looks will likely be on display when they hit NYC to face the Orangemen in what will be a good test for this group.
Comments
[...] Things We Saw. Not much else tonight. Ohio St.-Columbia was the other ESPN game tonight, and although the Ivy League Lions gave a good effort, there was never a realistic chance for the upset. Once again, OSU didn’t really impress us, but we thought back to last year, and when did they ever impress us then either? They won 35 freakin’ games last year and we can only remember a handful where we thought ‘this is a pretty good team’ - the Big 10 championship game v. Wisconsin, the Tennessee second half comeback, and the Georgetown F4 game. So that’s how they do. We’re not going to count them out this year based on first impressions. Koufos (19/7/3 blks), Butler (18/7/3 assts) and Lighty (13/4/4 assts) led the way (Ohio St. 68, Columbia 54). [...]
Totally agree. Excitement wise this would be up there with watching flies mate on the discovery channel. We need to eventually figure out how to eliminate wide open 3 looks. Other than that, it should be fun to watch these guys develop into a very good team over the duration of the year.
Koufos is impressive. I watched him play at the high school level, and had a hard time understanding why he was so hyped. No more. He's got better feet than Oden, more balance to his offensive game, and looks far more polished at this early stage of his career. Wow. He can be dynamite when he develops.
What is UP with Diebler? Is he having that much trouble getting used to the college game - so much trouble that even his shot has disappeared? When he was recruited, Matta praised his defensive abilities, but he looks slow of foot and not particularly graceful out there.
Tough game coming up against 'Cuse.
Good points Joe, Koufos has been impressive thus far. I just wish he would take over the game earlier on. His footwork and offensive skill set has looked better than Oden's and his ability to step out is a bonus. Hunter needs to stay consistent though.
I think it is taking Diebler some time to adjust, not only to the college game, but also the Schott. The Schott is a tough place to shoot, especially when it is 1/3 full. I think his shot is close and it should start falling soon. He has done a good job of not forcing his shot and letting the game come to him. Yes, he is slow of foot, but the defensive mindset is there.
I love the upcoming trip to NY. Our NC schedule is awesome; the 'Cuse, UNC, Florida and Tenn. Plus I think we get another quality opponent in NYC, such as Texas A&M or Washington St.
Let's hope Isiah Thomas or Starbury doesn't give any pre-game speeches.