Streak Stopped

The #4 Purdue Boilermakers brought our Buckeyes a little more down to earth last night after defeating them 60-57.

The Buckeyes came into the game hot, riding a six game winning streak, but the Boilermakers proved to be a little hotter, winning their eighth game in a row.

Robbie Hummel didn't score a point until less than fifteen minutes were left in the second half, but the Boilermakers were fine without him. JaJuan Johnson was unstoppable for the full forty minutes, scoring 24 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. The Buckeyes started the game out in a 1-3-1 zone, but Johnson tore that apart, scoring from both the perimeter and under the glass. OSU then moved into man to man, putting both Dallas Lauderdale and Kyle Madsen on Johnson, but neither were very successful.

The Buckeyes defensive efforts on Johnson were not the only problem. As usual, the Bucks were forced to rely heavily on their starters. No one outside the starting five scored for the Bucks, and only one player from the bench saw action-Kyle Madsen.

While this rotation has worked of late, it didn't last night. Evan Turner and Jon Diebler were the only real scoring threats last night, putting up 29 and 10. William Buford scored 10, but wasn't a factor until late in the game. The two other starters, Lauderdale and David Lighty, combined for 7 points.

This has been an issue for the Bucks all season long and it was exploited in full effect by Purdue last night. By the end of the game, OSU was very tired. They struggled mightily on offense as the game went on and settled for jump shots possession after possession.

If OSU wants to make a run in the NCAA tournament, they're either going to have to get more offensive production from Lighty and Lauderdale, or get some help off the bench.