BLOOMINGTON —
Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft scored nine of Ohio State's points in a decisive 11-2 run, leading the 14th-ranked Buckeyes past No. 2 Indiana 67-58 on Tuesday night.
Thomas finished with 18 points and Craft added 15 as the Buckeyes (22-7, 12-5 Big Ten) won their fourth straight.
Indiana had big plans for Senior Night.
After clinching a share of its conference league title in 11 years with losses by Michigan State and Wisconsin on Sunday, the Hoosiers (25-5, 13-4) were trying to claim their first outright Big Ten crown since 1993. They will have another chance Sunday at No. 7 Michigan.
Cody Zeller scored 17 points and Christian Watford added 12 but the Hoosiers weren't themselves.
Ohio State retook the lead midway through the second half when Indiana went more than 5 minutes without a basket, took control with the late run and never allowed the Hoosiers to get closer than six points.
Ohio State has won four straight.
The Hoosiers lost for the second time in three games and for the second time at home this season.
Much of it had to do with Ohio State not allowing the Hoosiers to get in sync offensively.
Part of the problem early was foul trouble. Victor Oladipo spent the final 11 minutes of the first half on the bench after picking up his second foul and Zeller wen to the bench 6 minutes later when he was called for his second foul.
But that didn't account for Indiana's uncharacteristic game.
The Buckeyes made things tough inside and never allowed the Hoosiers to pull ahead. Instead, Ohio State continually quieted a crowd that seemed ready to party from the moment it entered Assembly Hall.
Neither team led by more than three points until Watford hit a 3-pointer with 4:47 left in the first half to give the Hoosiers a 25-21 lead. It didn't last long.
Ohio State scored the final seven points of the half, ending the run with Craft's three-point play with 1:08 to go that gave the Buckeyes a 28-25 lead.
And after Indiana opened the second half by scoring the first five points, making its first five shots and taking a 39-34 lead, the Buckeyes answered again. This time they went on a 14-4 run to take a 48-43 lead with 9:47 to go.
Indiana rallied one more time, as Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell ended the Hoosiers long scoring drought by driving in for consecutive layups, turning the second into a three-point play that cut the deficit 50-48 with 7:07 to go.
But Craft and Thomas scored the first nine points in the late run that gave Ohio State a 61-50 lead with 3:15 to play.
The "Z" Watch
No. 14 Buckeyes pull away from No. 2 Indiana 67-58
- The "Z" Watch
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IU still working towards sixth banner
Monday night in Atlanta, Louisville won the school’s first National Championship since the year I was born - 1986. This accomplishment is significant to Indiana basketball fans, because the last two times the Cardinals cut down the nets (1980, 1986), the Hoosiers did it the following year. The stat, of course means nothing, other than both schools had strong programs in the 1980s.
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Zeller declares for NBA
Indiana’s Cody Zeller turned down one chance to play in the NBA. He couldn’t say no twice.
The 7-foot sophomore center who returned to school last fall for one more shot at a national championship announced Wednesday he is leaving college early to enter the NBA draft. The reason was simple. -
Washington shows support for Zeller
Washington residents don’t get to see Tyler Zeller much these days, but for one night, he was back in Indiana.
Zeller, along with his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates played the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, much to the enjoyment of more than a hundred Washington residents that made the two-hour trip to Indianapolis. -
Zeller scores 18, but Pacers beat Cavs 99-94
For the first 43 minutes Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it looked like a great homecoming for former Washington Hatchet - now Cleveland Cavalier - Tyler Zeller. The final five belonged to the Indiana Pacers.
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Oladipo, Zeller named All-Americans
Statistics through March 17
First Team
Trey Burke, Michigan, 6-0, 190, sophomore, Columbus, Ohio, 19.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.7 apg, 40.1 3-pt fg pct, 1.6 steals, 35.2 minutes (62 first-team votes, 319 total points)
Otto Porter Jr., Georgetown, 6-8, 205, sophomore, Morley, Mo., 16.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 42.7 3 pt-fg pct, 1.9 steals, 35.3 minutes (62, 319)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana, 6-5, 214, junior, Upper Marlboro, Md., 13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 59.9 fg pct, 44.3 3-pt fg pct, 2.2 steals (58, 306)
Doug McDermott, Creighton, 6-8, 225, junior, Ames, Iowa, 23.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 56.1 fg pct, 49.7 3-pt fg pct, 86.0 ft pct (44, 279)
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, 7-0, 238, junior, Kamloops, British Columbia, 17.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 65.2 fg pct (47, 278) -
Hoosiers look ahead after disappointing finish
Indiana left Washington in a dour mood.
Tom Crean knows his team can't afford to let it linger if it intends to continue chasing another national championship banner. -
Turnovers spell disaster for No. 1 Indiana
Nineteen turnovers. Sixteen baskets. A season-low 50 points.
Top-seed Indiana had no answer for the 2-3 zone of Syracuse, and now the Hoosiers are heading home after a 61-50 loss Thursday night bounced them from the NCAA tournament. -
Indiana can't solve Syracuse zone in Sweet 16
It took winning a national title for Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to get over a late-shot loss to Indiana the last time the schools faced off in the NCAA tournament.
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Top four seeds left in East Region
Yelps of support and echoing applause greeted the voice booming over the loudspeakers Wednesday at the scheduled start of practice for the East Regional's fourth seed: "Coached by Jim Boeheim, please welcome the Syracuse Orange!"
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Basketball is a king's sport in Indiana
Indiana athletic director Fred Glass must be ready for the game each time he goes out.
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