The Buckeyes were coming off a 38-point loss to Auburn last weekend, their third defeat in four games. In addition to the on-court struggles, Ohio State announced Tuesday that senior guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who started the first 10 games of the season, was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.
It was nothing a trip to New York to face red-hot No. 4 Kentucky couldn’t solve, as Ohio State upset the Wildcats 85-65 in the second game of the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton led the way with 30 points, setting the tone early with continued aggressive drives to the rim and then making big shots in the second half. Kentucky didn’t have an answer for Thornton’s ability to get into the lane and finish in traffic; he had a response every time the Wildcats looked to cut into the lead in the second half.
The Buckeyes, who improved to 8-4, took control late in the first half and Kentucky didn’t get within six points the rest of the game.
“I feel like our preparation these last couple days and how it’s presented [to] the team has been awesome,” Thornton said. “We understood the game plan with Kentucky, understood we could get downhill after the guards. The game was opening up … and we were able to get downhill.”
Freshman guard John Mobley entered Saturday as one of the elite 3-point shooters in the country but went just 1-for-8 from behind the arc. Like Thornton, though, he was able to get to the basket, making a career-high four 2-pointers.
“I feel like we just kept attacking,” Mobley said. “That was the game plan, just keep attacking. We were very connected on offense, so we definitely just kept attacking, stuck with the game plan.”
The returns of Aaron Bradshaw and Ques Glover, two players who missed the last month for different reasons, provided a sizable lift for Jake Diebler’s team.
Leave a Reply