Ohio State Survives Purdue's Assault

Ohio State is hoping it's true that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Tuesday night against Purdue, the Buckeyes' 38-game home winning streak almost died a tragic, unforeseen demise.

On the heels of a daunting road victory Saturday (meet rock), Ohio State is gearing up for a huge Big Ten showdown with second-place Michigan State this upcoming weekend (I give you hard place). The Buckeyes were caught between the two on Tuesday, surviving an 87-84 thriller in Columbus against the Boilermakers who entered as 15-point underdogs.

Owning the nation's most efficient defense, Ohio State surrendered a rare offensive explosion. Purdue shot 52 percent from the field, including a prolific 11-of-19 from behind-the-arc, and turned it over a mere three times in a game of 63 possessions (6.3%). The 1.33 points per possession for Purdue was by far OSU's worst defensive performance to date.

Despite seven first-half treys by Purdue, including five from D.J. Byrd, things appeared to be right on schedule. By the last media timeout of the first half, Ohio State had opened up a 36-25 lead and it seemed as if things were on cruise control. Perhaps that was the problem: the Buckeyes assumed they had things in control.

Finishing the half on a 15-4 run, Purdue sent the No. 3 Buckeyes into halftime with a surprising 40-40 tie on the scoreboard. It was the most points Ohio State surrendered in the first half all season and only the third time they retreated to the locker room without a lead (the previous two were without Jared Sullinger).

The 16,504 people in attendance expected the Buckeyes to finally exert their muscle in the second half. Purdue had other thoughts.

It was a see-saw affair in the final 20 minutes, as the Buckeyes and Boilermakers traded blows. Purdue rode the hot shooting hand of Byrd (24 points, 7-of-9 from 3-point range) and several timely high ball screens. Ohio State, meanwhile, fed Sullinger in the post and enjoyed a spiritual awakening in guard William Buford.

Purdue point guard Lewis Jackson, having been relegated to the bench to start the game, used his quicks to attack Ohio State on ball screens. The Purdue bigs made Ohio State's life miserable with several pick-and-rolls, forming a lay-up line in the process. Ohio State's intensity bottomed out while Purdue enjoyed resurgence a mere 3 days after suffering a humiliating 17-point home loss to rival Indiana.

With 6:49 remaining in the game, after 11 lead-changes in the second half, things went from bad-to-worse for Ohio State. Already having Aaron Craft on the bench with four fouls, Sullinger was whistled for his fourth with the Buckeyes leading 71-68.

Shannon Scott and Evan Ravenel were tasked with replacing their respective stars in the lineup as twice Purdue got to within one. In fact, Purdue had an opportunity with five minutes remaining to take the lead. Then, Buford happened.

The much maligned senior, oft-criticize for a perceived lack of production in the clutch, stepped up in a big way. Buford scored 9 points in the final 5 minutes, rallying Ohio State and its crowd, building an 80-73 advantage inside the final two minutes. Ohio State nursed the lead to its final margin, rescuing the Buckeyes' lengthy home-court winning streak. It was Purdue, in fact, that last beat Ohio State in Columbus.

It was the second consecutive game Ohio State needed Buford's heroics down the stretch.

After struggling for 36 minutes in Madison, Buford canned his first (and team's only) 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes left to give Ohio State a 54-50 lead. The shot catapulted the Buckeyes to victory. Still in contention for Ohio State's scoring record, Buford has sputtered in stretches this season as the lead scoring guard. His consistency is vital to the Buckeyes' championship aspirations. Buford, though, finished with 29 points (10-of-17 shooting) and seven rebounds on Tuesday.

With the Spartans looming on a 6 PM ESPN showdown this weekend, Purdue was thought to be a minor speed bump - especially after falling to Indiana in such ugly fashion. Matt Painter clearly had other ideas for his Boilermakers.

While Purdue fell just shy of shocking the world, it appeared Ohio State's lifeless corpse couldn't have been brought to life by shock therapy. Despite the lousy performance, understandable given the circumstances, it was a test of mettle and intestinal fortitude for Ohio State.

The weaknesses exposed Tuesday - there were many - should give Thad Matta plenty of teaching points this week in preparation of Michigan State. Ohio State can open up a two-game lead on their closest challengers and survived an unexpected scare in the process. If there's one major concern going forward it is probably ball-screen defense. Effort, however, probably had something to do with Tuesday's humdinger.

It was a great gameplan by Painter's crew. Jackson clearly received the motivational message sent to him by his coach on account of not getting the starting nod. Jackson responded in kind with 14 points, four assists and no turnovers. Kelsey Barlow added 14 points and posterized Sullinger with one of the most impressive dunks all season.

Sullinger finished the game with a quiet 18 points on just nine field goal attempts (9-of-12 from the free throw line). Craft and DeShaun Thomas, meanwhile, added 13 points apiece.

Ohio State's home winning streak - now at 39 games - will now be put to the test once again. Michigan State is fighting for a conference title as well as a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. As for Ohio State, we'll see if they're any stronger.