“E’Twaun, he may put his fingers up and tell you he hit a 3-pointer, but he rarely smiles,” Purdue guard Lewis Jackson said. “Once he smiles, he’s in a zone, and you probably won’t stop him that night.” Purdue guard E’Twaun Moore was smiling all day Sunday as he lit up Ohio State for 38 points en route to a 76-63 victory.
How they lost: The Boilermakers took the lead with 3:23 left in the first half and never looked back. The Buckeyes played catchup the entire second half, eventually getting within four points after a Jared Sullinger dunk. But, it was too much Moore for Ohio State as he hit a late 3-pointer to seal the victory for Purdue.
By: Justin Mertes-Mistretta
Who beat them: Senior guard, E’Twaun Moore
Moore played like a future NBA All-Star on Sunday, scoring 38 points and hitting a career high seven 3-pointers. Moore also broke the 2,000 career points milestone. He single-handedly won the game for Purdue by scoring half of the teams 76 total points. “He put the team on his back do!” (Hilarious video if you haven’t seen it. Beware of the offensive language).
For a league that is known for its defense and team-oriented style of play, there sure is a lot of star power in the Big 10. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so many NBA talents in the Big 10 at one time.
Stat of the game: 72 percent (13-for-18) from the field for Moore. This statistic would be impressive even for a big guy, but the fact that Moore is a guard makes it all the more impressive. He wasn’t just scoring on easy layups or post moves, he was shooting from all over the court. He attempted 10 threes, making 70 percent of those as well.
Historical Significance for OSU: Jon Diebler’s two 3-pointers Sunday gave him 332 for his career, breaking the Big Ten career record previously set by Penn State’s Pete Lisicky (331).
Of Jon Diebler, coach Thad Matta said, “Watching him evolve as a player from four years ago is honestly amazing and that’s an incredible feat.”
Going forward: After starting the season 24-0, the Buckeyes have now lost two of its last three games (two straight road losses). The next two games look to be fairly routine for the Buckeyes (vs. Illinois and Indiana), but there final two games are no lock. Their only remaining road game is at a sneaky Penn State team who will most likely be playing for its tournament life. Then, the Buckeyes will finish its regular season with a game against Wisconsin. For those who live in a cave, this is the same Wisconsin team that beat Ohio State at home a week ago.
A number one seed is no lock for Ohio State, or for any team for that matter. College basketball is experiencing another year where there is no true stand out team. Along with Ohio State, there are several teams that could make a case for a number one seed, including Kansas, Texas, Pittsburgh, Duke and even BYU and San Diego State out of the Mountain West. This means that the race for the four one seeds in the tournament will come down to the final games. This should be one exciting finish.
Next game: Tuesday, Feb. 22 vs. Illinois
“That’s the beauty of college basketball,” Diebler said. “We’ve got another game Tuesday.”
With only one day to prepare for their next game, Ohio State will need to have a short-term memory. However, it shouldn’t be too worried going up against the Illini, which is 2-5 on the road in the Big 10 and already lost to the Buckeyes at home this year.
Justin Mertes-Mistretta is a senior editor for TheSportBank.net. Follow him on Twitter at MertesMist_tsb or read his blog here.