Buford, Mullens pace Ohio State to huge road win over Michigan

Ohio State vs Michigan

If the Ohio State Buckeyes make the NCAA Tournament, they'll look back on a night in Crisler Arena when supporting actors became leading men. Guard William Buford and center B.J. Mullens stepped out of the shadows, scoring 15 points apiece to lead Ohio State to a badly-needed 65-58 win over Michigan.
 
Saturday's triumph in Ann Arbor represents a significant transformative moment for the Buckeye basketball program. Loaded with quality non-conference wins, Thad Matta's men needed to stay afloat in the Big Ten without injured star David Lighty in order to remain a likely bet for the Big Dance. Because of their gut-check gallantry against John Beilein's Wolverines, OSU now stands at 3-2 in the conference instead of 2-3, and can offer the selection committee a quality road win inside the league. Barring a collapse, this victory will give Ohio State a lot of leverage on Selection Sunday; it's hard to overstate the value of this particular conquest in enemy territory.
 
The Buckeyes broke through against their archrival not because of their big-name studs, but because of the role players who made timely contributions in the heat of battle. When Michigan grabbed a 44-40 lead with 8:23 left in regulation, Matta needed to find production from unlikely sources. A low-scoring defensive grinder demanded blue-collar baskets that could soften up a defense while changing the tenor of this tussle.

Enter Buford and Mullens, who brought their lunch pails to the painted area when their teammates needed a spark.
 
Buford relentlessly slashed to the goal in the game's last several minutes, while Mullens--often benefiting from Buford's dribble penetration--used reliable hands and an aggressive mindset to make impressive catches and then power home a number of layups and dunks. On a night when sniper Jon Diebler (3 points) disappeared for Ohio State, and leading scorer Evan Turner experienced tough sledding for most of the evening, it was the Buford-Mullens combo that changed the trajectory of this game more than anyone else on the floor. 
 
Buford and Mullens hit six of the Buckeyes' last seven field goals, before Turner preserved the OSU victory at the foul line in the game's dying moments. Moreover, among the six players in the game who attempted at least nine shots, Buford (6-of-10) and Mullens (7-of-9) were the only two who hit more than 50 percent of their deliveries. Because of their accuracy, Buford and Mullens enabled OSU to go 24-for-44 from the field, a 55-percent clip.
 
In marked contrast to Ohio State's offensive efficiency, Michigan lacked good shot selection and the toughness needed to create higher-percentage looks. Falling in love with the three-point shot once again, the Wolverines--haunted by bad habits at the offensive end of the court--hoisted more triples (29) than two-point shots (27). The result was a predictably poor shooting performance, a 20-for-56 clunker that put Beilein's boys at 36 percent.

Michigan's strong defensive performance went for naught because the Wolverines--despite holding down their opponent--displayed far too much timidity on offense. A team that used the three-point shot as a crutch was unsurprisingly stymied down the stretch. After gaining that aforementioned 44-40 lead with 8:23 left, Michigan--continuing to bomb away--scored just one basket in the next 7:28. When UM's DeShawn Sims scored a meaningless basket with just 55 seconds remaining, the Buckeyes had acquired a 57-49 stranglehold on the game. Over a week ago, the Wolverines were lucky to escape Indiana with a win on a night when they launched far too many threes. In this game, a lazy offensive performance caught up with them. 
 
William Buford and B.J. Mullens taught Michigan a lesson on Saturday night. By being aggressive instead of waiting for someone else to take charge, Ohio State's newfound studs turned around a season, and injected a fresh dose of confidence into the ballclub from Columbus.

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