ROSE BOWL BOUND
Ohio State demolishes Tennessee, 42-17, and advances to the Rose Bowl to face top-seeded Oregon.
The basketball Bucks came out hot in the World's Most Famous Arena this afternoon.
Ohio State continued its momentum, pressure and sharpshooting throughout the afternoon, resulting in the biggest win of the Jake Diebler era. The Buckeyes led for nearly the entire game, blowing out the SEC's Wildcats 85-65.
They played their best 20 minutes of the season to start the game, shooting 63% from the floor in the first half and consistently getting the ball into the paint for high-percentage shots.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| KENTUCKY | 30 | 35 | 65 |
| OHIO STATE | 39 | 46 | 85 |
Bruce Thornton led all scorers with 30 points, followed by John Mobley Jr. with 15 and former Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw with 11 off the bench.
First Half
The story of the opening 20 minutes was Ohio State's pressure, penetration and balance. Mobley Jr. got the scoring started off the bad with a deep three to put the Buckeyes on the board.
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 21, 2024
Thornton led the 1st half scoring among the starters with eight points, followed by five apiece from Mobley Jr. and Sean Stewart. But the Buckeyes' leading scorer in the opening frame came off the bench and carried a chip on his shoulder.
That was Bradshaw, who spent time for an off-the-court issue prior to Thanksgiving, rejoining the team on Dec 9. He had nine first half points on 4-4 shooting from the floor, including one from beyond the arc.
Evan Mahaffey added six, including this dunk coming off a nifty dribble-drive from Mobley Jr.
Came out swinging!@EvanMahaffey5 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/LkkmvAPLIg
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 21, 2024
The Buckeyes closed the half with their biggest lead of nine points.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | KENTUCKY |
|---|---|---|
| 85 | POINTS | 65 |
| 30-53 (56.6%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 17-57 (29.8%) |
| 4-15 (26.7%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-22 (18.2) |
| 27-32 (84.4%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 21-27 (77.8%) |
| 10 | TURNOVERS | 7 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 35 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 7 |
| 19 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 26 | BENCH POINTS | 11 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 6 | STEALS | 8 |
| 11 | ASSISTS | 12 |
The Buckeyes were able to maintain a double-digit lead until a Wildcats spurt cut it down to six, following a three-point play from Kentucky scorer Otega Oweh.
Ohio State's Micah Parrish and Ques Glover collided on the play, with Parrish going to the bench walking gingerly.
The teams went back and forth at a frantic pace, leading to a timeout - and the Buckeyes returned to the floor and got quick back-to-back baskets from Thornton and Mobley.
Mobley and Oweh went back and forth, delighting the MSG crowd and drawing applause from the UNC and UCLA fans who stuck around for the second half of the double-header.
A critical sequence for the Wildcats took place at the nine-minute mark, when four misses and four offensive rebounds failed to materialize into any points. The Buckeyes could have really seized the game here, but turned the ball over on their next two possessions, resulting in a Jaxson Robinson three-pointer.
The Buckeyes then followed that up by going into clock-killing mode, turning the ball over again near mid-court with two seconds left on the shot clock, resulting in a fast-break dunk by Kentucky's Brandon Garrison.
But the Wildcats just couldn't overcome the Buckeyes or Thornton's effort.
Shot clock cheese! @Bruce2T_| #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/QN6EefkmYO
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 22, 2024
Ohio State bled the clock and grew the lead largely from the free throw line until time expired.
What's Next?
Ohio State returns to the Schottenstein Center next Sunday Dec 29 to host Larry Bird's alma mater, Indiana State. The Sycamores will come to Columbus on a five-game winning streak, having blown out the St. Louis College of Pharmacy Eutectics 101-53 earlier today.
