Scarlet & Gray advances to The Basketball Tournament Super 16 with 82-73 over the Matadors
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Jared Sullinger continues to impose his will on TBT competition with an epic double-double.
After falling in double-overtime in last year’s semifinals of The Basketball Tournament, this year’s incarnation of Team Scarlet & Gray seems intent on improving upon their 2017 finish, as they move into the Super 16 with a hard-fought, 82-73 win on Sunday over the predominantly Texas Tech alumni team, the No. 9 Matadors. In front of a pro-Ohio State crowd at Capital University, the S&G squad overcame a deficit for most of the first half to move one step closer to claiming the $2 million, winner-take-all prize.
David Lighty opened the scoring with a corner three after an
Aaron Craft steal. Early on, the Matadors looked to get physical with S&G, a fact that would impact the game later on. After a couple of fouls,
John Roberson got a steal from Craft, which led to a three-on-one layup for
J.J. Avila. Following an Avila triple and a fast-break layup (off of another Craft turnover) for
Karl Cochran, S&G head coach Scoonie Penn called timeout with the de facto home team trailing 10-3 after an early flurry by the Matadors.
Out of the timeout, Craft zipped through the lane and found
Jared Sullinger in the corner, who showed his improved shooting touch and hit a three-pointer. On the subsequent possession,
William Buford connected on the third S&G triple from the same spot, but Avila made another three to keep the Matadors up 15-9.
The practically three-pointer-only offense of Scarlet & Gray continued as Northern Illinois alum
Leon Rodgers hit his first attempt to get the former Buckeyes within two. However, at the end of the first quarter, the Matadors led Scarlet & Gray, 22-18.
Through the early minutes of the second corner, the Matadors continued to blister the nets hitting on 2⁄3 of their shots to take a 29-20 lead. After another timeout, Penn had his team focus on taking the ball inside, resulting in three consecutive possessions where Sullinger and Rodgers combined for six made free throws, to get the score to 31-26 in favor of the Matadors.
For most of the first half, the Bexley crowd was in shock as the Big Ten’s all-time leading three-point shooter
Jon Diebler was ice cold. The scoring machine was 0 for his first four— including three attempts from downtown— and missed his first of two from the charity stripe.
However, after a block on the defensive end by Lighty, Diebler couldn’t maintain a handle on the Sullinger outlet, but he stuck with the play and found Lighty streaking for the hoop and the harm that got S&G within one, 31-30.
After being fouled on what would have been an incredible spinning assist, Craft hit a pair of free throws to give the former Buckeyes a 34-33 lead, their first since the game’s opening basket.
Now down 37-34, Sullinger went to the floor unsuccessfully attempting to corral a loose ball. As he stood up, with
Quincy Diggs standing over him, Sullinger gave the defender a shoulder. In response, Diggs retaliated with a pointed push to Sully’s neck. The altercation resulted in a technical foul on Sullinger, and Diggs was hit with a flagrant 2, resulting in his ejection.
Diebler and John Roberson exchanged pairs of free throws for the fouls, and Craft hit a jumper to close out the half, pulling Scarlet & Gray within a single point, 39-38.
In the first two quarters, the Matadors hit 14 of their 26 attempts (53.8%), while the Scarlet and Gray werte only 11-for-34 (32.4%). The Matadors were also aided by the fact that they went 5-7 (71.4%) from beyond the arc, while the former Buckeyes were just 4-13 (30.8%).
The Matadors had two players in double figures— Avila (13) and Roberson (10). Sullinger led the S&G with nine, while Craft and Lighty each had eight.
The Scarlet & Gray took the lead on a beautiful entry pass from Buford to Sullinger. Then on the next possession, Lighty found Buford for a three to give the “home” team a 45-41 lead.
The action was not as crisp for S&G on Sunday as it was in their opening round game against the West Virginia Wildcats, but their talent spelled the difference in the comeback. Sullinger hit three straight buckets for the Scarlet & Gray, to put them up 51-46. Lighty assisted on two of Sully’s baskets.
With 3:14 left in the third quarter, Diebler finally connected from the floor, hitting a three from the left side of the arc. A few possessions later, Craft found Diebler from deep, giving S&G the 60-54 lead.
However, the Matadors came roaring back to close out the half. After a Craft turnover with 00:07 in the period, Karl Cochran hit a deep three-pointer to give the ninth-seed the 61-60 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final period, Sullinger continued to flex his considerable muscle and talent, collecting eight points in the first three minutes of the quarter. Capped by a Craft layup, S&G raced out to a 9-1 run to retake the lead at 69-62.
Though Sullinger has been one of the best players on the court in the first two rounds of TBT 2018, it is safe to say that he will not have the same impact next weekend, as he will be skipping the games on Friday and Sunday (should they get there) in Atlanta to get married.
However, the former Buckeye big man will be replaced by an even bigger former Buckeye big man as current student assistant on Chris Holtmann’s coaching staff Greg Oden will suit up to fill in for Sully.
In an effort to increase the defensive intensity, Penn inserted former East Tennessee guard Courtney Pigram. His presence, coupled with Craft’s, led to a number of easy opportunities for S&G.
With 3:57 remaining, the Elam Ending target score was set at 82 with S&G up 75-70. The unusual end-of-game rules eliminate the obnoxious fouling in the closing minutes. If you are unfamiliar with how it works:
“Under the rule, at the first dead ball after the four minute mark in the fourth quarter, the game clock shuts off. A Target Score is set by adding seven to the leading team’s score. The first team to reach the Target Score wins.”
More on TBT using the Elam Ending.
Following a Sullinger miss, Craft dished to Diebler who hit from way downtown to increase the advantage to 78-70.
On Friday, July 27 at 9:00 p.m. EDT, Team Scarlet & Gray will face the winner of No. 4 Big X and No. 12 Primetime Players in Atlanta, Ga. Big X is made up of former Big Ten players, including recent addition to the Ohio State coaching staff Andrew Dakich. Primetime Players and Big X will tip off on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
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