In order to defeat the top team in the country, any program usually needs its best player to play well.
Keita Bates-Diop played well, and then some.
Just days after tying his career-high in points with 27 against Iowa, Bates-Diop exploded for 32 points in 35 minutes of game action – connecting on 12-of-21 shots from the floor – helping Ohio State to an 80-64 win over No. 1 Michigan State on Sunday evening.
The performance for Bates-Diop didn't come as a shock to Spartan head coach Tom Izzo, who said he saw Bates-Diop's talent as a high school player coming out of Normal, Ill.
“I think he’s finally healthy. I recruited him, I liked him as a freshman, I really did. I think he has improved his game," Izzo said. "What I like about his game is that his mid-range game is the best part of his game, not very many guys are like that, he is very patient in there."
Bates-Diop's emergence is a comeback story of sorts, as the redshirt junior missed the majority of the 2016-17 season with an injury that sidelined him for the entirety of Ohio State's Big Ten conference slate a season ago.
Despite not playing most of last year, Bates-Diop said a big part of his personal development was due to watching Ohio State play on film during his injury, and learning where he could make his impact felt.
"The mindset is very important. Last year I was out for six or seven months and couldn't play. It helped just sitting back and learning the game, re-watching the film, watching us play last year, and learning what to do and what not to do," Bates-Diop said after upsetting Michigan State. "Then the new coaching staff came in and made us all feel very comfortable in our roles. I think all of that played a part in me and how I'm playing this year."
While he has put together a number of impressive performances this season, including seven double-doubles, Bates-Diop's game against Michigan State could very well put him in the discussion for conference player of the year, an award an Ohio State player has not won since 2009-10 when Evan Turner was given the honor.
Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann was asked after the game whether or not he had yet considered the fact that Bates-Diop could leave for the NBA following the season, and said that while discussions have been had with Bates-Diop and his family, the focus continues to be on the Buckeyes and the 2017-18 season, which has suddenly taken a momentous swing in the right direction.
"I think we have been having those thoughts for awhile. I think he and his family want to put that to the side and not worry about it right now," Holtmann said. "You get in this business for kids to reach their dreams, you really do. If that happens and he has an opportunity like that, I am going to be so happy for him and his family. There is so much yet for us to prove, and he just has to be Keita and whatever comes out of that, comes out of that."
Before Bates-Diop has to make a decision on his basketball future, however, Ohio State still has work to do. The Buckeyes currently sit atop the conference standings with Purdue, yet their next three games following Thursday's home tilt against Maryland are outside of Columbus.
Even though there is still plenty to play for down the stretch for Ohio State and Bates-Diop, Holtmann didn't downplay what the win over Michigan State meant for the Buckeyes' star player, considering all he has been through in his career with the Scarlet and Gray.
"Keita and I shared a moment right before he was going to go on with CBS. It was a special thing to see him embrace and feel the moment like he did," Holtmann said. "Hopefully we can work together and create some more moments."
