Many laughed at some of the very early predictions elevating Ohio State to a top ten squad this year. Many argued common sense knocked the door back down when the Buckeyes were readjusted to a fringe top twenty team just before the season began.
It now seems as though the earlier projections were spot on. That’s because Ohio State just beat another top ten opponent, this time the Kentucky Wildcats 71-65. It did it by making timely plays in the second half, to remain in the lead, then salting it away at with defense and at the free-throw line.
It didn’t always look that way in the first half though. Ohio State struggled taking care of the ball — giving it away nine times. But it buckled down in the second twenty minutes, turning it over just five times.
The extra possessions and good defense helped extend the lead and put Ohio State in relative control throughout.
Freshman point guard D.J. Carton led Ohio State in scoring with 13 points, getting many of his buckets in crunch time. Kaleb Wesson and Kyle Young also finished in double figures with 12 and 10.
𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 from Las Vegas🎰#GoBucks #Team121 pic.twitter.com/8YZy5EYp7l
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 22, 2019
With the win, the Buckeye resume continues to get more and more impressive. It has now beaten teams that have won four of the last eight national champions with not even half the season gone.
The Buckeyes now get a bit of a break before taking on another solid opponent on 12/29 when it travels to Cleveland to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.