There are must-have wins and wins that you simply cannot afford to lose. Ohio State has been squarely on the bubble, it seems like for weeks, and that has mostly been because of an inability to beat any ranked teams. Sure, it’s been taking care of business against teams it should, but without a Quad 1 win or a victory over a team that will impress the NCAA Tournament committee, well — it’s hard to elbow your way into the March Madness conversation.
On Tuesday night, the Buckeyes threw plenty of elbows in dominating a ranked Wisconsin team that had been playing very good basketball in Big Ten play, and it started from the jump. OSU played confidently, moved the ball, shot well, and played great defense on the way to an 86-69 win.
With John Mobley Jr. sitting out for the second-straight game because of a hand injury, Devin Royal more than stepped up. He had 16 points in the first half, pacing Ohio State to a 38-26 halftime lead. He finished the game with 25 points, five rebounds, and a block.
Based on what we’ve seen from the Buckeyes this year, it felt like Wisconsin would make a run and make this thing a ball game, but that never happened. OSU stayed composed and hungry and extended the lead in the second half, thanks to some continued good shooting, solid zone defense, and solid judgment with shot selection throughout.
At the end of the day, Ohio State shot 54% (31-of-57) from the floor, including 52% (11-of-21) from three-point range, outrebounded Wisconsin (35 to 27), and — wait for it — had 16 assists on the night, all culminating in its best performance of the year.
Royal wasn’t the only Buckeye to have a great offensive game. Guard Bruce Thornton poured in 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. On the way to putting that performance together, Thornton passed Jerry Lucas and William Buford for third on the all-time scoring list and went over the 2,000 point mark for his career.
Amare Bynum (13) and Taison Chatman (11) also scored in double figures to make it four OSU players to do so. With the win, Ohio State improves to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in the Big Ten. The bubble is looking more solid after tonight.
The Buckeyes will next be in action on the road vs. Michigan State on Sunday. With great challenges come great opportunities.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State basketball gets first ranked win with victory vs. Wisconsin
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
