With non-conference games in the rear-view mirror, Ohio State will host No. 18 Michigan State on Friday night in Columbus to start its stretch of 18 consecutive Big Ten games to complete the regular season.
For the Spartans (11-2, 2-0), a lackluster 80-62 win over Western Michigan on Monday was a warning that reputation is no guarantee of success in the rugged conference.
“We’ve got some work to do,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “Everybody that thinks we’re worthy of being a really good team, and I can think of about 15 other Big Ten teams that are in the same boat as we are. What we do between now and Friday is going to determine some of that.”
Ohio State (9-4, 1-1) is confident after consecutive wins over then-No. 4 Kentucky (85-65 score) on Dec. 21 and another 20-point win (103-83) vs. Indiana State on Sunday. Those victories came after a 24-point loss to Maryland and a 38-point thumping by then-No. 2 Auburn earlier in December.
The catalyst for the Buckeyes has been Bruce Thornton. The junior had a career-high 30 points against Kentucky, then bettered that with 33 against the Sycamores to become the first Ohio State player since Evan Turner to post 30-plus points in back-to-back-games. Turner had 31 each against Illinois and Minnesota in the 2010 Big Ten tournament.
In his past two games, Thornton has made 19 of 29 shots (65.5 percent) from the floor and 20 of 22 (90 percent) from the free-throw line.
“His efficiency has been really impressive all year, but you look at these two games and he’s been really efficient,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “Obviously has an ability to get to the free-throw line, which is helpful for us. He’s playing with great poise. He’s reading the game really well. We’re also able to create for him some, which I think is really good, and it’s helped him with his efficiency and some of the opportunities he’s getting off the ball also.”
The Spartans will turn to Jaden Akins to lead the offense against the Buckeyes. He had 18 points against Western Michigan and has scored 17 or more in three of the past four games, with 13 in the other.
Akins was not pleased with how the final non-league game unfolded.
“It’s just a wakeup call before Big Ten play,” he said. “Every game is important, so we were really looking to build (from the Western Michigan game). And we didn’t really get to do that. But going into this next game, we’ve just got to learn from this.”
Izzo knows one player can’t carry the load, so he was glad that junior center Carson Cooper scored a career-high 13 points vs. the Broncos.
“I was pleased with his offensive performance,” Izzo said. “He’s been one of my best defensive players, and this year he’s struggled in that area.”
The Buckeyes hope to keep their momentum going and will look to Thornton, 21, to be the driving force even for the older players, such as 24-year-old guard Ques Glover.
“He’s one of our leaders,” Glover said. “I’m older than him, but I look up to him for a lot of different things because of the way he comes in every day, head down, focused. He’s a great player.”
–Field Level Media
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