This past Saturday was the first loss for the number 2 Ohio State Buckeyes as they took on the Kansas University Jayhawks, the number 13 team. It’s the first loss of the season and many factors attributed to the 78-67 loss for the Buckeyes. One of the main factors being the fact that Jared Sullinger was out the whole game due to back spasms.
Kansas was in need of a worthy victory as they were coming off loses to number 1 Kentucky and number 7 Duke. They got it Saturday when the Buckeyes, with some of the best scoring and rebounding margins, failed to prove their past statistics.
Again, missing Sullinger was a serious blow for Ohio State. The All-American typically averages more than 19 points and ten rebounds. On top of those stats, he would have been better geared to take on the Jayhawks Robinson who is also an All-American. Ten of the points scored by Robinson were in the final minutes of the game and helped lock in the Kansas win.
There were some highlights for the Buckeyes though:
- Kevin Young, the freshman forward, scored his career high of 14 points.
- Deshaun Thomas offered up 19 points, and rallied the team after hitting three consecutive 3-point shots.
- William Buford played on the road for the first time in this season and scored 21 points for Ohio State. Seventeen of those points were in the second half of the game.
Unfortunately, the Kansas University Jayhawks never did trail in the game. The Buckeyes managed to get within four points at one instance in the game, but they never could take off to the point of leading and pulling the win.
Hopefully, Sullinger will have his back injury straightened out and the team can rebound (pun intended) from this loss with a greater sense of purpose.
Let’s Go Buckeyes!
