Buckeyes rally to beat USC 74-66
After his team’s game against South Carolina, Ohio State coach Thad Matta had a message for USC’s lone senior, Malik Cooke.
“I told him that in watching those guys play, I think they’re on the verge of really turning a corner,” Matta said. “He’s obviously a really pivotal part of what they do, and [USC coach Darrin Horn] does a great job and I like him. I hope that they can get this thing going in the right direction because they’re right there.”
Playing the No. 2 team in the country, the Gamecocks had turned a corner for 20 minutes. A team that has trailed in six games at the half this season held a four-point lead after the first period. Once the Buckeyes’ All-American Jared Sullinger suffered a bruised foot that kept him out most of the game, USC looked primed for an upset.
And just like that, Ohio State showed that it turned the corner a long time ago, rallying to avoid the upset and win 74-66, even without the best player on the court.
The Gamecocks, in contrast, looked deflated without their best player on the floor, as the Buckeyes were able to get out to a lead after Cooke had his left eye busted open and had to go to the locker room with 18 minutes left in the game.
Ohio State quickly erased USC’s four-point lead, holding a five-point advantage when Cooke came back into the game with a bandage on his eye five minutes later.
“You can’t say enough about Malik Cooke and the leadership and presence he showed,” Horn said. “If you don’t think he’s valuable to our team, I think you saw that when he went out in the second half when he got hit on the no-call underneath the basket. The team just didn’t seem to have the same confidence. He’s so important to us. Credit him for playing through that and coming back in and having a terrific game.”
Cooke finished with 21 points, matching his season-high point total from the game against Providence.
Aside from losing Cooke, the Gamecocks were unable to adjust to the changes that Matta made on offense in the second half. The Buckeyes struggled against USC’s zone, shooting just 46.2 percent from the field. In the second half, Ohio State was able to find its rhythm and get easy baskets.
“We told our guys that we had to have more of a presence in the paint,” Matta said. “We had to play more North-South as oppose to East-West. In the first half, we were just going from side to side to side to side. There were areas to penetrate and there were areas to kick, and we just went to some actions where we moved the zone more and we really wanted to put South Carolina in a position where they had to make decisions, as oppose to us making decisions.”
Ohio State’s DeShaun Thomas was able to take advantage of the defense being shifted to primarily defend William Buford. With Sullinger absent, Thomas shined for the Buckeyes, finishing with a game-high 30 points.
“Coming into the game, I really felt like Buford was the key to their team,” Horn said. “In my mind, he may be the best pro prospect they have. Obviously Sullinger’s special and he’s terrific, but even that 3-pointer, which was pretty big at the end where we still have a chance if we get a stop. [Buford] just rolls it up and knocks it down. He’s an outstanding player, so we were going to be really conscious with what we did, and that meant that somebody else was going to have an opportunity obviously to step up and make plays, so credit Thomas for doing that.”
Even in the loss, there was little doubt as to who South Carolina’s best player is. When told that his team was near turning a corner after the game by the opposing coach, Cooke couldn’t help but agree.
“We’re still trying to win now,” Cooke said. “I thank him for his comments and we are trying to really turn a corner here and we’re right on the verge of doing so.”