Bruce Ellington led USC against Presbyterian.
 #2 Ohio State 9-1, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule |
December 17, 2011 12:00 PM ET - ESPN —— Colonial Center Columbia, SC |
 South Carolina 4-5, 0-0 SEC Roster | Schedule |
Today Ohio State takes to the road again hoping to play better than they did on their last trip. The competition will not be as fierce as the last time, as they are taking on the Gamecocks of South Carolina and not the Kansas Jayhawks. Nevertheless, it's always an adventure when a young team plays in a hostile environment early in the season.
I'm not sure if we'll see the Old Ball Coach in the crowd for this game, and in fact it's questionable whether USC will be able to fill their 23,000 seat arena even with the #2 team in the nation visiting on a Saturday. Fans in Columbia still have football on the brain, much like their counterparts in Columbus, and the fact that the Gamecocks are 4-5 will not excite their curiosity much.
This is Ohio State's second game against an SEC team this season, having dispatched the #7 Florida Gators at home back on 11/15. The OSU vs. SEC meme is mostly a football phenomenon, but it might start to creep into the basketball scene, especially since SEC teams have eliminated the Buckeyes from the NCAA tournament the last two seasons. The one thing OSU fans do not want to hear in Columbia today is chants of "SEC", and it's likely that they won't, barring a monumentally flat performance.
| # | Name | YR | HT/WT | PTS | REB | ASST | P | # | Name | YR | HT/WT | PTS | REB | ASST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | A. Craft | SO | 6-2/190 | 9.5 | 3.0 | 5.4 | G | 5 | E. Smith | SO | 5-11/211 | 7.8 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| 32 | L. Smith Jr. | SO | 6-4/205 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 2.1 | G | 30 | L. Jackson | JR | 6-5/230 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 2.2 |
| 44 | W. Buford | SR | 6-6/220 | 16.3 | 4.1 | 3.3 | F | 15 | M. Cooke | SR | 6-6/213 | 12.2 | 4.9 | 1.9 |
| 1 | D. Thomas | SO | 6-7/225 | 14.5 | 3.9 | 0.9 | F | 13 | A. Gill | FR | 6-8/232 | 8.6 | 5.3 | 1.4 |
| 0 | J. Sullinger | SO | 6-9/280 | 18.3 | 10.3 | 1.6 | C | 24 | D. Harris | SO | 6-9/214 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 0.2 |
Opponent
South Carolina has had an up and down season, hitting their lowest point when they were trounced by then #1 North Carolina 87-62 in the Las Vegas Invitational. They dropped a close one the next day to the other USC 63-60 in the final round of that tournament. After that they were manhandled at home by Providence in the Big East-SEC Challenge 76-67. Since then, they have righted the ship somewhat, pulling out a 58-55 upset at Clemson and taking care of business at home on Tuesday night against Presbyterian.
One thing that has helped the Gamecocks improve lately is the play of two-sport star Bruce Ellington. Technically, Eric Smith is the starter at point guard, but Smith played only 19 minutes on Tuesday and was 0/4 from the field with only 2 assists. Ellington came off the bench to log 25 minutes and led the team with 15 points and 3 assists. He has played only 3 games with the basketball team (he is a WR on the football team) but has averaged 10 points per game.
The Gamecocks could use all the help they can get in both points and assists, as they have struggled in both categories this season. On Tuesday against Presbyterian, they scored only 19 points in the first half on 24% shooting. They turned up the full-court press in the 2nd half and forced 10 turnovers and many easy baskets on their way to a 47-point half, but that kind of strategy will likely lead to disaster against Ohio State, because the Buckeyes have excellent ball-handlers and they finish well against a press. Just ask Florida.
USC has struggled to distribute the ball without having Ellington available for full-time duty. They have only 95 assists in 9 games, versus 120 turnovers. Freshman Damien Leonard in particular has had his problems in this area, giving up 15 turnovers on the season with only 4 assists. Leonard has also struggled from the field, hitting only 26% from distance and 25% overall. But he is a big-time prospect and it's only a matter of time before he begins to find the range. The Gamecocks will need the freshman to step up big against Ohio State if they are to keep the game close.
Darrin Horn is in his 4th season as South Carolina's head man, after having coached his alma mater Western Kentucky for five seasons. In his first season at Columbia, he led the Gamecocks to a 21-10 record and an NIT appearance, where they lost to Davidson 70-63. Since then though, his teams have struggled, winning only 15 and 14 games the last two seasons. Last year's team was very young, and the thought was that this would be the year that they broke out and challenged for the SEC title. The win over Clemson helped, and a victory over Ohio State would buoy the team as they prepare for conference play.
Buckeye Breakdown:
Ohio State struggled mightily in the early going on Wednesday before turning it around and eventually spanking South Carolina-Upstate 82-58. One of the keys to the game was the play of Sam Thompson, who came off the bench to play 21 minutes, score 8 points on 4/4 shooting, and block two shots, the first of which started OSU's late run in the first half that turned a 21-17 deficit into a 37-28 halftime lead. Could we see more of Thompson today in relief of starter Lenzelle Smith Jr.? That's something to watch for.
Sullinger's return lifted OSU on Wednesday.Obviously, the return of Jared Sullinger was huge on Wednesday, and Sully is the biggest reason why the Buckeyes will likely come away with a victory today. USC's front-court players have played well this season, but they are in over their heads trying to match up with the 280-pound Sully. Expect to see the big sophomore moving the USC forwards around at will in the post today as none of them has the size to stop him.
William Buford rebounded nicely from his sub-par game against Kansas, going for 14 points on 4-9 shooting and hitting all 4 of his free throws. OSU overall improved their shooting from the charity stripe, an area that has been a weakness in recent games, by hitting 20/24 for 83%. Of particular interest was Aaron Craft hitting 4/5, because he had been hitting only 74% on the season. Craft needs to be able to make free throws down the stretch as he will have the ball in his hands most of the time.
Deshaun Thomas was a beast on Wednesday, making 10 of 15 shots and leading the team with 23 points. This was after he provided most of the offensive spark in the loss against Kansas. The big forward from Fort Wayne has shown a nice touch around the basket, and I even saw him pass up an easy shot in the lane and give the ball up to Evan Ravenel for an easy layup, a sure sign that he is starting to pick up the team aspect of the game. With better shot selection comes better shooting usually, and Thomas is now shooting a crisp 51% for the season.
As the season wears on, the team might need to get more scoring from the back-court, to balance out the production from the big guys. Aaron Craft has not looked for his shot much this season, and Lenzelle Smith Jr. rarely looks to shoot. As more teams begin to pack it in low, look for the guards to put it up more. It remains to be seen whether they can provide enough to keep the pressure out of the middle. This will be something to watch for going forward.
Etc
- OSU is 2-1 overall against South Carolina, and they defeated the Gamecocks last season 79-57 in Columbus behind 30 points and 19 rebounds from Jared Sullinger.
- Thad Matta will be going for his 200th win as Ohio State coach today. His current record as the Buckeyes' head man stands at a sparkling 199-58. Overall, he is 301-89.
- William Buford needs 10 points to tie Robin Freeman for 10th place on the all-time OSU career scoring list, with 1597 points.
