Playing at home in Cleveland, David Lighty led four Buckeyes in double figures with 25 points on a magma-esque 7/7 from distance (ties career high) and 9/10 from the floor overall as Ohio State sent another message to the rest of the NCAA tournament field via a 98-66 demolition of George Mason.
William Buford added 18 points (7/14 FG) and Jared Sullinger put up an 18 point (7/10 FG), eight rebound effort while Jon Diebler chipped in 13 points on 4/8 from beyond the arc. Setting up the fearsome foursome was Aaron Craft and his 15 assists.
Ohio State set a school tournament record with 16 triples in 26 tries, good for an insane 62%, in the most lopsided tournament win in school history. The Buckeyes shot 61% overall while holding the Patriots to 44% on the afternoon.
Playing without an ill Luke Hancock, the Patriots took a quick 11-2 lead following a Ryan Pearson bucket but that would be the extent of the good news for George Mason as Ohio State turned on the afterburners unleashing a hellish 50-15 run - that's right, a 50-15 run - over the final 16:23 to take a commanding 52-26 lead into the locker room.
Looking swig-straight-from-the-2-liter comfortable in his hometown, Lighty drained 6/7 shots including 5/5 from downtown in a 17 point 1st half outburst. Lighty started the flogging with a triple and after a Buford layup, he assisted on a Sully flush and splashed back to back threes, one of the step-back variety, giving OSU a 15-14 with 13:25 left.
On the next possession, Lighty forced a Patriot turnover and OSU capitalized as Craft fed Sully for another rim rattler. After a rare bucket from George Mason and a pair of free throws from Craft, Lighty bottomed his fourth trey of the half giving OSU a 22-16 lead.
Already on a 31-13 run, Lighty drained his fifth triple putting OSU in front 36-24 with 4:49 left in the half. His teammates took over from there as Diebler dialed up from distance, Sully converted two free throws and a bank shot on the low block before Buford knocked a trey. After George Mason called a timeout to try and stop the massacre but promptly misfired again, Diebler hit another triple to cap a 13-0 run tucked neatly inside the 50-15 before hitting another three in response to a Pearson layup with :14 left in the half. Pearson's bucket ended a near 10 minute FG drought for the Patriots.
Possibly the most overwhelming 20 minutes of tournament basketball I've ever witnessed, Ohio State shot 63% overall, 75% from distance on 9/12, won the glass 18-10 and posted 12 assists against six turnovers despite the aforementioned 11-2 deficit at 16:23.
Everbody had highlight moments in this one though Lighty stole the show. Diebler's trey to end the 1st half was sick, so was the find from Craft to set it up. Craft had another nasty assist to Diebler for three early in the 2nd half, via a stop, drop and roll pass, and his laser from halfcourt to Sully for an and-1 to make it 29-22 Buckeyes was nearly unfathomable. Dallas Lauderdale played an active 21 minutes with six and four in addition to altering a handful of shots. Buford started slow hitting just 2/7 but caught Lighty-culosis and hit 5/7 in the 2nd half. Craft had two freaking turnovers against those 15 dimes.
On the afternoon, the Buckeyes assisted on 23 of 36 FG's against nine turnovers while forcing 17 George Mason miscues.
The win sets up a showdown with Kentucky this Friday night in Newark, NJ.
Comments
Off to the Arm Pit of America - also the Carjack capital of the USA! (I'm taking the train to Newark) GO BUCKS!
Congratulations on making the Sweet 16! Your prize?
You get to go to Newark, New Jersey....
...
I, for one, welcome our new coaching overlords.
Where T-Shirt Time is All The Time
/Duff'd It
"Arm Pit of America"? I thought that was Gary, Indiana?
Lighty definitely got hot though. OSU down 9-2....then Craft comes in, the WHOLE complexion of the game changes, and George Mason turned into Georgina Mason.
Take that, mutha f***ka's and Chuck Barklee! ****apologize. had a few brewskis!***
And, thank GOD I'm not a Crapperine. Those beatches are chokers.
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
This is pretty fun to look at:
Yeah, after the first 4-5 minutes, it was "hide the wimmin & chilrun" time for GM.
Johnny Hooker: "He's not as tough as he thinks". Henry Gondorff: "Neither are we".
15 freaking assists! FIFTEEN! That is freaking a 1 with a 5 after it . . .. .
If they continue to play like this, there is no way the Bucks lose a game. Now I just hope they continue to come out hungry every single game from here on out and just dominate everyone else.
Gotta keep hittin' those threes! Now it's a "road game" vs. KenSUCKee.
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
So who was that wearing the #23 jersey and what did he do with David Lighty?
On second thought, don't tell me what he did with Lighty. Let that guy keep playing.
From now on, Lighty's mother and grandmother make dinner the night before every game. It works.
That was a fun game to watch, And I bet it scares the pants off every team that het matched up with us from here on out. Also, our squad next season is gonna be beastmode. With Amir Williams taking the center position, can you imagine what Sully is gonna do to PF's?!? We may be better next season....
"We have a quarterback, obviously, that's kind of ridiculous running the ball." - Urban Meyer
Thats scary if true, but I have a hard time believing it. We lose a lot of talented senior leadership and thats hard to replace with talented freshman. Also, I watched the video Jason posted of Amir and really wasnt blown away. Seems like he had 6-8" on everyone else he was playing against. We should worry about next year after we cut down the nets.
Fan of bacon since 1981
Buford is a senior next year, no(if he doesn't turn pro)?
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
Damn you Jim Burr
From one Polishman to another: I give you the middle finger Coach Krzysewski. Prepare yourself.
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
This team is so much fun to watch. I love how Thad lets his players play. It's refreshing to see a team so content with kicking the other teams ass no matter who get's the numbers.
And Jake, today is why Craft gets the minutes he does.
Don't rub Jake's nose in it, Southern. Today made it crystal clear why Craft is The best point guard in the nation, even if he doesn't score a ton of points.
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
Woah! Now that's a bold statement! Not sure I can agree with that one, although he is for sure a top three point guard in the Big Ten.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
I stand by my statement Jake. There are a lot of good point guards around, but I think Craft is best at distributing(and that is the point of a 'point guard', isn't it?) the ball to his scorers, bar none.
That kid, Pullen, from Kansas State is one hellava player(took apart Wisc.'s Jordan Taylor), but still glad we have Craft.
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
Absolutley. But I seemed to notice Lauderdale get more minutes today too ;). I hope you realize I'm rooting for all of these kids. Craft proving me wrong is fabulous.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
This type of comment is why buckeye fans are the best. NY City had a sh*load of us all around and it was fun as hell getting O-H'd everywhere I went!!!
Looks like Turdue made an appearance, tonight.
I know, great effort from Purdue. I wonder if the Barlow thing went deeper.
While Newark will never be mistaken for Paris, the area around the Pru is nice and very safe. I have been to a few concerts there and there are always a lot of cops and security. I expect there will be a good sized contintgency of Buckeye fans from NY/NJ/CT. I am trying to get tickets, but not having any luck. Anyone from the area that has some, hook a sista up will ya?
If they can just pretend its Cleveland, Newark will be great. I hope there are plenty of Buckeyes in the crowd. Keep drinkin-it-from-the-2-liter-like-ur-at-home...yo.
Woodshed!
I'm really pulling for Marquette right now. I really don't want to meet Syracuse. I'm not scared of anybody else in our region though, unless we are unfocused against Kentucky.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
I don't know. Syracuse and Marquette seem to be showing that they're roughly interchangeable. Yes, Newark would sort of be a home site for Syracuse, but a lot of OSU fans would be there, too.
I'd be more worried about playing UNC. They're loose with the ball but have a lot of talent and length.
You see I disagree on UNC. I think that's a team I'd love to see in the Elite 8 should we beat UK. I just haven't seen a ton from them over the course of the season that is too impressive. I think their win over Irving-less Duke is a bit overhyped and they only had one other win over RPI top 50 teams other than that (before the Washington game today, at least.)
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
To add to this, they don't look very smart at all from what I saw today watching a bit of their second round game.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
No, UNC is not smart, they throw the ball away a lot, but they do have length + some guys who can really put the ball in the basket. If Ohio State faces them, the Bucks should handle them, but I was more worried about UNC than Syracuse . . . and Marquette just made them moot.
Gonna be very tough ticket with the large fanbases of the teams there.
You expect Kentucky fans to outnumber Buckeye fans? If so, I'd guess you're suggesting that Kentucky fans travel better because it's not like Jersey/NYC is a bastion of Kentucky grads.
Nevermind. I misread your comment. Yes, it will be a very tough ticket, I expect.
Anyone think Illinois has a chance tonight? I think they'll at least linger for a bit.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
ILL was right there with Kansas, in terms of the flow of the game, but they missed numerous good chances. They'll have to play much better in the 2H to win, but ILL has a decent chance.
Gus Johnson alert in the Marquette-Syracuse game. Going to be a great ending, especially with him calling it.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
Petrino just said that Marquette limping past Syracuse "shows just how good the Big East is." That's a head scratcher. When Sir Charles makes more sense than you do, it's time to get off the set.
Charles Barkely is absolutely ripping the Big East, right in front of Rick Pitino. I love Chuck, even if he hates on Ohio State sometimes.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
If the Buckeyes can get past Kentucky, I will root for Marquette to beat Carolina not only because I think UNC's a little more dangerous (Marq = Michigan) but because it would interfere with the selection committee's evil scheme (warning: I'm now putting on my paranoid conspiracist hat) to make Ohio State beat Kent, UNC, Duke, and Kansas in order to win a NC.
But Mr. Gene Smith is the head of the committee! Haha, maybe he is doing a little under the table dealing with the NCAA to lessen our football punishment.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
He muct recuse himself when they address Ohio State. I almost wonder if the other guys in the committee kinda don't like him and when he leaves the room, the go, "okay, now let's get that s.o.b." I'm kidding, of course. Oh no, there is a black helicopter flying above my house . . .
ROFL! +1 Fido.
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
2 point game!
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
Nevermind.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
Tisdale would be awesome if b-ball players had to remain stationary on one spot on the floor. He could shoot & pass and wouldn't have to worry about running, blocking out, slashing to the rim (yeah, right!), tying his shoes, etc.
he'd still have to catch the ball, though.
Kansas has a player named Mar(pussyfart) Morris?
And a white guy named Tyrel. Interesting team.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
I see now it's Markief Morris. I thought they said Marqueef.
Ugh, oh, his queef is hurting.
ILL just needs to shoot better. They're playing pretty goof defense.
Illinois really needs to win this game. If FLA St. and Kansas both win that means the highest seed Kansas could possibly play before the Final Four would be a 10 seed. A 12 seed in the Sweet Sixteen and a 10 or 11 seed in the Elite Eight. That's pretty ridiculous.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
And then they might get Wisc, Butler, or BYU in the semis - heck, FLA's not exactly a powerhouse, either.
So Weber calls a timeout literally RIGHT before a TV timeout and right after his team hit a big three? Seems smart to me.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
Darn. Kansas is going to win. The Morris twins seem like they could really be cocky punks.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
So whos going to be in Newark? I'm living on the upper east side of manhattan for this semester and my cousin and a bunch of guys are coming up for the game. If anyone wants to meet up friday night I know a great sports bar that has $1 drafts and $4 pitchers during friday nights. If you're unfamiliar with new york city prices, that is f***ing unbelievable.
After being in times Square all week, hell yes it is! Where is it cool to go to tomorrow night? Can't make it to Newark Friday. What time is the game?
I'm in NYC too (Upper East as well). I'll be at the games Friday and Sunday. If you can't make it the OSU bar for hoops in NYC is Side Bar. I think they do an open bar for free an hour before the games and then specials once the game tips. Not a bad thought and all Buckeyes there.
Oh word. Do you ever go to Manny's on 2nd ave and 92nd? I just moved here two months ago and haven't made it to the OSU bar yet. I'm actually going to the game friday but may hit up the side bar post game.
That would be cheap in Toledo, Cleat!
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
DAMN YOU Purdoodoo! VCU? Really? And we lost to those clowns? Embarrassing. It wasn't even close.
"We have a quarterback, obviously, that's kind of ridiculous running the ball." - Urban Meyer
I agree. I was very disappointed in PU. Especially the way they lost. Not even close. VCU who? What league do they play in? As Vitale would say, "Are you kidding meeeeeeee?!"
"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston(1924-2008)
wearing my mason shirt and ohio state hat..not smart when everyone's team around me is losing by 40...that being said and a fist fight later...We looked SEXY last night. It is going to be very hard to keep this caliber of shooting up, but even if we play with a fraction of what we did last night, we are the most dangerous team in this tournament, bar none.
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
Wait, you got into a fist fight with a tOSU fan? With tOSU gear on? If so, UNACCEPTABLE. Not cool on thier part!
"We have a quarterback, obviously, that's kind of ridiculous running the ball." - Urban Meyer
i was walking out of the bar i was at..and some douche meistro screamed "hey ::laugh:: looks like you won and lost today" and i didn't turn around and kept walking towards the door. He then proceeded to scream "yo f*(k you you f*%king bitch" i continued to walk away but semi-might-have flipped the bird over the shoulder..i heard commotion and a glass drop..turned around and saw him sprinting at me..side stepped him..kneed him in the stomach and followed with a downward punch as he was keeled over..haha..don't worry he was a mason fan
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer