I felt that with the Buckeyes’ dearth of depth on its men’s basketball team, they’d be living on the razor’s edge every game in terms of being able to compete for 40 minutes with the better teams in their conference and around the country.  When Evan Turner went down, who is the best Buckeye basketball player since Jim Jackson, I really felt like Thad Matta’s string of 20-win season was in serious jeopardy.  Fortunately, Turner came back sooner than expected, but they lost winnable games at Michigan and Minnesota.  Like in many of their games, they competed and even led up until about 30 minutes in, but just weren’t deep enough to finish those games off.  When they played Purdue last night, I feared the same thing was going to happen.

The Bucks were in control for the first 10 minutes or so, but then Robbie Hummel got red hot.  He scored 29 in the first half alone, as 6th-ranked Purdue built a 12 point lead.  It really appeared to be the same old story for the Buckeyes, so I quit following along.  Sure enough, the one game I turn off, they pull it out!  Ohio State was down 10 with 4:07 to go, but by riding on the back of Evan Turner, who put up 32 in the game, they gutted out a 70-66 victory.  Suddenly, I feel a lot better about OSU and their chances to make the NCAA tournament this year!

The Big 10 will be tough, and I don’t expect Ohio State to win it.  However, if they go 12-6 or so, with a good showing in the Big 10 tournament, I think they can surprise a few teams in the NCAA’s, especially if Evan Turner gets hot.  He is that good.  He can will his team to victory.  If Ohio State can avoid foul trouble and get more consistent contributions from Diebler and Lighty, they’ll be a threat.  I don’t expect a Final Four run or anything like that, but with the number 1 ranked recruiting class in the country coming in next season, the Buckeyes could be a solid top 15 team or so for years to come.

Evan Turner is a treat to watch.  He rebounds like a big man, penetrates and passes like a guard, plays good defense, and can score in the clutch.  I really believe he’s a first-team All-American this year, and he’ll be a great pro.  The only thing that Jimmy Jackson did better than Turner does is pass the ball, although Turner is no slouch in that department.  I loved Jimmy Jackson – he’s one of my favorite all-time Buckeyes, along with Jay Burson, Jamaal Brown, Scoonie Penn, Kelvin Ransey, Herb Williams, Ron Stokes, Michael Conley, Jason Singleton, and Evan Turner, among others.  I’m excited to see next year’s class, too!