When the Buckeyes knocked off rival Michigan in Columbus to maintain a hold on first place at the halfway point in the Big Ten season, Ohio State coach Thad Matta cast an optimistic eye towards the final nine conference games and his team's chances of repeating as the regular season champions.
"It beats second place," Matta said about staying in the Big Ten lead. "It's such a long season and we've got to keep the focus on us. There's some things we've got to keep getting better at, but turning the halfway point at 7-2, I like."
Matta has to also like the fact that the Buckeyes move forward into matchups with Wisconsin and Purdue knowing that in a series of recent difficult tests, Ohio State has demonstrated the depth and toughness to fend off a variety of challenges.
"It was good for us," Matta said about engaging the Wolverines in a tight struggle for most of their recent game. "We knew it would be a hard fought battle. We haven't had those situations where we've had sizeable leads at halftime in the last couple games, but hopefully we're a better team because of it today."
With his unusual assortment of players -- one senior, and just one junior who is in his first year playing for Ohio State, and the rest of the roster freshmen and sophomores -- Matta has developed a surprising level of confidence in his bench, sometimes going eight or nine deep when the game is still very much on the line.
"I'm gaining trust and faith in these guys, and they've deserved that," Matta said about using a lot of players throughout the Big Ten games. "Hopefully, we can continue to widen our scope of who we're playing."
With another full round of Big Ten games yet to be played before the regular season title is decided, Ohio State sophomore starting guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. is already looking at the long-term benefits the expanded use of role players could ultimately provide beyond the end of the regular season.
"This rotation not only gives those guys early confidence that we'll need as a team when we get to tournament time," Smith said, "but it also provides rest for some of us who do play a lot of minutes, so next game we're not burned out."
NOTES, QUOTES
Home win streak reaches 38 games
--With their recent 64-49 Big Ten win over Michigan, the Buckeyes have won 38 straight games at home. That gives Ohio State the second-longest home winning streak in the country, behind Kentucky.
--G Lenzelle Smith Jr. used the big stage for a big performance for the second time this season. After exploding for 28 points and seven rebounds in an earlier rout of Indiana, Smith came back with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Buckeyes dispatched rival Michigan and knocked the Wolverines out of a first-place tie in the conference.
--Senior G William Buford, Ohio State's second-leading scorer on the season, continued his recent erratic play, going scoreless in all but the final minute and three seconds of the first half against Michigan. Buford, who averages about 15 points per game, finished with 12 after scoring just three in the hotly-contested first half.
BY THE NUMBERS: 22 -- Through its first 19 wins, Ohio State had an average margin of victory of 22 points, the largest in the nation.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I knew that was going to be our edge, rebounding and just doing the little things. I stuck to that early and just got myself in a position where I could get the rebounds. We weren't making many shots, so it was a better chance on getting rebounds." -- Ohio State sophomore G Lenzelle Smith Jr., who had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Buckeyes' home win over Michigan
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK'S GAME:
--at Wisconsin, Feb. 4
KEY MATCHUPS: The Buckeyes know the secret to success in the Kohl Center is keeping the Wisconsin crowd out of the game and that means not allowing the Badgers to put together any momentum-building runs. Those are fired by senior PG Jordan Taylor, who likely will be engaged in another classic battle with Ohio State sophomore PG Aaron Craft. Craft has the physical prowess to match up with Taylor, who overpowers a lot of other point guards. With Craft minimizing Taylor's offense, the Buckeyes position themselves to let their athleticism and length carry the moment.
FUTURES MARKET: Even though he won't appear in an Ohio State box score until the 2013-14 season, there is still some buzz around the Buckeyes' program about 6-foot-8 swingman Marc Loving of St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo. Loving, who comes from the same basketball hotbed area that provided Ohio State with current senior G William Buford, has a great shooting touch and solid ball-handling skills. Ohio State insiders see Loving playing the two-guard and creating all sorts of match-up issues with his length.
PLAYER NOTES
--G William Buford had 12 points in the recent Big Ten win over Michigan, moving him just one point away from matching G Jay Burson for seventh place on the all-time scoring list with 1,756 career points.
--F Jared Sullinger, with his 13 points in the win against Michigan, needs only 23 points to reach 1,000 at Ohio State, midway through the Big Ten portion of his second season with the Buckeyes.
--G Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 17 points and 12 rebounds as Ohio State beat Michigan, marking the first double-double of Smith's career.
