An abundance of big time plays and performances led to Ohio State's shocking upset of 4th-ranked Kentucky yesterday in Brooklyn, none more important than those turned in by Buckeye centers Trevor Thompson and Daniel Giddens.
Thompson logged 24 solid minutes to the tune of 10 points (4/7 FG), five rebounds and five blocks with zero turnovers with Giddens adding six points and three boards with zero turnovers in 16 minutes.
Not necessarily eye-popping stats to be sure but if you ask Thad Matta, I'm sure he'll take a combined 16 points, eight boards and five blocks with no turnovers from his center duo any day of the week.
But it wasn't just the numbers from the pivot yesterday.
It was the hustle and fire the combo displayed that really stood out. Giddens was right in the middle of the game's most crucial play as he snatched a loose ball at midcourt as Ohio State clung to a 63-60 lead with three minutes left and tossed it to Kam Williams who was intentionally fouled by Tyler Ulis. Williams would drain both free throws pushing the lead to 65-60.
On the ensuing possession, Giddens, who had clanked 15 of his 21 free throw tries coming into the game, calmly deposited a pair giving Ohio State a 67-60 lead with 2:54 left in regulation.
Meanwhile, Thompson's five blocks against an athletic Wildcat front line were every bit as important as his 10 points, setting a tone that the Buckeyes wouldn't be pushed around in the paint.
Though not solely responsible, Thompson and Giddens deserve a ton of credit for helping hold Kentucky to just 36% shooting from inside the 3-point line especially when you consider the Wildcats were connecting on an impressive 56% of 2-point field goal tries coming into the game.
These exploits are especially exciting when thinking back to the kind of statistical and emotional performances turned in by last year's pivot duo of Amir Williams and Trey McDonald.
Williams sleepwalked through four years at Ohio State producing marginal numbers while, to his credit, McDonald always played hard but frankly just wasn't a very talented player.
Looking at the first 11 games of the Williams/McDonald duo last year compared to the first 11 games of the Thompson/Giddens pairing, it's interesting that the numbers are eerily similar.
| PLAYER (GAMES) | MPG | FG/FGA | FG% | FT-FTA | FT% | REB | RPG | BLK | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAMS (10 G) | 18.2 | 25/37 | 68% | 22/31 | 71% | 54 | 5.4 | 20 | 72 | 7.2 |
| MCDONALD (11 G) | 11.9 | 19/29 | 66% | 7/12 | 58% | 44 | 4.0 | 7 | 45 | 4.1 |
| COMBINED (21 G) | 30.1 | 44/66 | 67% | 29/43 | 68% | 98 | 9.4 | 27 | 117 | 11.3 |
| PLAYER (GAMES) | MPG | FG/FGA | FG% | FT/FTA | FT% | REB | RPG | BLK | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THOMPSON (11 G) | 16.5 | 24/41 | 59% | 16/19 | 84% | 45 | 4.1 | 15 | 64 | 5.8 |
| GIDDENS (9 G) | 20.0 | 19/36 | 53% | 8/23 | 35% | 43 | 4.8 | 20 | 46 | 5.1 |
| COMBINED (20 G) | 36.5 | 43/77 | 56% | 24/42 | 57% | 88 | 8.9 | 35 | 110 | 10.9 |
Despite the similarities in production, the good news is that Giddens is just a freshman and Thompson only a redshirt sophomore following his transfer from Virginia Tech meaning these guys still have a chance to improve whereas Amir and Trey's numbers came at the apex of their potential.
The key however is for Thompson and Giddens to build on yesterday's showing and become more consistent performers.
Giddens wasn't bad against UConn with seven points, six boards and four steals but he's thrown up a few duds such as a two point, one rebound performance Virginia and most recently, his five fouls in six minutes featuring zero points, zero rebounds and two turnovers in Ohio State's win over Northern Illinois. Playing physical defense without fouling and shoring up his shooting percentages remain in focus for the 6'10" McDonald's All-American.
Thompson was a non-factor at UConn posting no points, no rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes and he's been held to six points or less in seven of his 11 outings. That said, after yesterday's showing Thompson has reached double figures in points in consecutive games posting a combined 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks against no turnovers in 51 minutes against Kentucky and Northern Illinois.
If Thompson and Giddens can give more of what they showed yesterday in Brooklyn the Buckeyes will have another solid building block as they continue their turnaround from a rough start to the 2015-16 season.
