Ohio State vs Wisconsin basketball Recap

Wisconsin 65, Ohio State 43

Gee, you think that the Ohio State Buckeyes miss Evan Turner just a little bit? If there were any doubts about the extent to which the Scarlet and Gray missed their player of the year candidate on the final day of 2009, such uncertainties were wiped away in a lopsided Big Ten season opener.
Without a playmaker to slash to the goal, create offense off the dribble, and dish out dimes to a combination of post players and perimeter shooters, Ohio State was naked and lost at the Kohl Center on Thursday. The dogged and determined Wisconsin Badgers - sensing their opponent's manifest limitations - moved in for the kill and quickly dispatched the Buckeyes by 22 points. The rout in Madison, Wis., marked the first Big Ten game of the season for both clubs, but if this contest is any indication, Ohio State will continue to struggle until "Evan Almighty" returns.

It's never fun to play Wisconsin. The program that reached the 2000 Final Four under Dick Bennett and then maintained its positive personality under the equally successful Bo Ryan has earned a unique reputation in college football circles. UW is the team that broadcasters and pundits like to compare to the experience of having a root canal. Dealing with Wisconsin's tenacious defense at one end, and then its punishing interconnected screens in the other half of a court, makes Bo Ryan's roster a pain in the neck. There's never a good time to take on this team, but when a dynamic difference-maker such as Evan Turner is out of your lineup, you can't like your chances against the Badgers. Ohio State discovered as much in this game.

Just how badly did the Buckeyes get smothered without their best player? Let's count the ways.

For one thing, Ohio State scored just 14 points in the game's first 13 minutes and 39 seconds. With 6:21 left in the first half, OSU had tallied just one point more than Wisconsin guard Trevon Hughes (14-13). At that point in the proceedings, the Buckeyes had made just five shots, only one of them coming off an assist.

Things got little better afterward, as the Bucks were limited to just 14 made field goal attempts and only five assists for the whole game. It's bad enough when a team suffers through a 14-of-43 performance from the field, but it's even worse when an offense manages just a handful of assists, a clear sign that continuity and balance are lacking on the floor.

P.J. Hill did shoot 50 percent for Ohio State, but the senior guard took only four shots against the Badgers. The only player to shoot with any sustained consistency and quality for OSU was William Buford, the wing who went 7 of 16 en route to 14 points. Everyone else on Coach Thad Matta's club was thoroughly flummoxed by Wisconsin's defense. A 25-point first half put Ohio State behind the 8-ball, but a gruesome 18-point second half pounded home the point that Evan Turner's services are desperately needed in Columbus... quickly. 

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