By Ben LarrisonThe Daily Northwestern
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After taking Wisconsin to the wire Saturday, Northwestern seemed to trail Ohio State before the game even began.
The Wildcats were dominated by star freshman Greg Oden and the No. 7 Buckeyes 73-41 Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. After starting the year 10-3, NU now sits in the Big Ten cellar with five-straight conference losses.
“It wasn’t really a game from the start,” senior Tim Doyle. “It was everything you feared, and (Oden) lived up to the hype.”
NU (10-3, 0-5 Big Ten) fell behind early, its shooting touch missing from the tip. The Cats would start the game 1 for 6 from the floor – including 0 for 3 from 3-point range – and already were down 23-8 just 13 minutes in, with three of their four baskets coming on fast break layups.
With the exception of two straight scoring drives with under four minutes to go in the half, the Cats scored just one set offensive basket in the first period – which came on a Jeremy Nash desperation 3 as the shot clock expired. NU shot a paltry 28 percent from the floor before the break, including just 1 for 11 from behind the arc, and trailed 34-15 at the half.
While Oden’s offensive impact was more as a decoy than a scoring threat – he finished the game with just five points – his defensive presence greatly affected NU.
“He’s a dominating presence in there,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “Those guys were aware of him whether he was on them or he was under the basket, you know, and just threw up a hand.
“He affects the game in a lot of ways, even when he’s not scoring or getting five, or not even blocking shots, but just the thought of him (creates) some hesitation.”
With the start of the second half, NU’s defense completely collapsed. Ohio State came out on a 13-3 run over the first five-plus minutes, taking a 47-18 lead over the hapless Cats.
Things would get worse for NU.
While Craig Moore started hitting 3’s, nailing three-straight for the Cats to cut the lead to 49-27, sophomore Sterling Williams had to be helped off the court during a timeout with 11:57 remaining. While the injury proved to be just a right leg cramp, Williams did not return for NU.
Ohio State (15-3, 3-1) eventually would lead the Cats by as many as 35 points. NU only broke through the 40-point barrier on a Jason Okrzesik 3-pointer with 21 seconds to go, the final field goal of the game.
NU finished the game with a 32.7 field goal percentage, another poor shooting performance for a team that hasn’t topped the 40 percent mark in any of its Big Ten matchups this season.
Cats players said Ohio State’s full-court press and its quick switch to zone defense from man-to-man were a surprise they’ll be prepared for when the Buckeyes visit Evanston on Jan. 24.
“We didn’t even know they were going to play zone, to be completely honest with you, so that completely threw us off,” senior Vince Scott said. “And then when they have one guy that can take up the whole lane, it’s pretty difficult. And we struggled with that in the first half, but in the second half we got some good looks, and I think we’ll be better-prepared for them the second time around.”
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
