WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ohio State found life. And it was from its superstar.
He had been ice cold all day, failing to fund open space against some of the best players in the Big Ten, names like Zach Edey, Trevion Williams and Jaden Ivey. It was a trio that gave Purdue a 20-point lead, one that was seemingly insurmountable.
EJ Liddell, along with freshman Malaki Branham, was able to work Ohio State back, giving the Buckeyes a fighting chance, all it could really ask for.
But it wasn't enough.
With 34 seconds left in the game, junior forward Liddell, the star for the Buckeyes, who had been struggling all day, found himself in the corner, with an open look, hitting a 3 and cutting Ohio State's deficit down to 3.
A Kyle Young steal and a kickout to Liddell for a 3 tied the game at 78 with the clock winding down.
As the buzzer sounded, Ivey showed why he was one of the best players in the country, hitting a buzzer-beating 3 to give Purdue the 81-78 win against Ohio State.
Ivey led the way for the Boilermakers with 21 points, while Edey added 20.
Liddell and Malaki Branham each recorded 20 points.
Where was E.J. Liddell for the majority of the game?
In a showcase of some of the best players in the Big Ten, for most of the day, E.J. Liddell was nowhere to be found.
The Boilermakers’ defensive approach for the Ohio State junior forward was nothing that he wasn’t used to. It was something Liddell usually overcame, whether it’s through fadeaway looks, or drives to the hoop, finding open jumpers from deep.
Sunday, the Big Ten Player of the Year candidate was swallowed in and around the paint area, whether it was against the athleticism of Ivey or the size of both Williams and Edey.
Liddell struggled, making seven of his 16 attempts from the field, missing each of his five of his seven attempts from deep, while adding three rebounds, three assists and four fouls.
His presence was quickly erased, forcing Ohio State to try and make an offensive impact from outside the 3-point line, something that hasn't worked since the start of the new year. The Buckeyes only made nine of their 29 attempts from deep,.
Branham picked up a bit of the slack, scoring 20 points while making seven of 10 attempts from the field and two of three from deep.
But where Liddell goes, this Ohio State team goes. And while he may have showed up in the final moments of Sunday's game, Liddell was too cold.
Ohio State: next victim of Purdue's tenacity in paint
Purdue wasn’t going to change much, and Zed Key knew that.
His job was inside, battling, doing the best he can against a matchup problem the rest of the Big Ten can attest to. And the sophomore forward was having trouble, recording two fouls in his first four minutes of play in the first half, being forced to watch from the bench for the remaining 16.
Key had to know if there was an answer to defending Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey successfully, pulling a referee aside and having a quick conversation before the start of second half play.
Edey showed quickly there was nothing to be done.
Already struggling to stop a resurgent Purdue offense early in the second half, Key took a pass into the paint, pushing his body against Purdue’s brick wall of a center. And when the Ohio State forward found there was no hope, he tried to lob it over Edey’s head, a ball the center just snatched out of thin air like it was meant for him.
The Buckeyes needed more size. They turned to the transfer.
Redshirt senior center Joey Brunk had only been averaging 5.7 minutes per game heading into Sunday’s contest, nearly doubling that in the first half against the Boilermakers.
In terms of physicality, he was matching Purdue in the paint, putting through each of his two scoring attempts in the first 20 minutes, adding three rebounds and two blocks.
In the first half, Brunk was one of two Ohio State players, along with Key who only played four minutes, without a negative plus/minus total, entering the locker room with a zero.
As the game went along, Purdue's slim lead on the glass proved to be enough, recording 38 rebounds compared to the Buckeyes' 32.
It was where Purdue found the space for some of the biggest plays of the game too, forcing the ball inside to Edey with less than four minutes to go and connecting on a jumper off a foul from Brunk.
This was the difference for Purdue. While it was inefficient at best from the free-throw line, the Boilermakers were consistently physical enough inside to lead to 22 fouls by Ohio State and 26 attempts at the free-throw line.
News and notes
After missing Thursday’s game against Minnesota with a foot injury, redshirt senior guard Jamari Wheeler returned to the starting lineup against Purdue, putting up two points in 24 minutes of play with three rebounds, two assists, two trunovers and two steals.
Freshman Meechie Johnson Jr. made his third start of the season with senior forward Justin Ahrens coming off the bench for the first time this season. Johnson scored only three points in his 21 minutes of play, making only one of his five attempts from the floor, while Ahrens made only one of his four attempts from deep in 12 minutes of play.
.
What we learned
This is the standard. This is the level of play Ohio State has to play at if it wants to make a run in the Big Ten tournament and, eventually, the NCAA Tournament.
The Buckeyes looked outmatched at points, especially down low, with players like Key and Brunk doing the best they could against Williams and Edey.
But it wasn't enough. It really was never going to be enough. And that's a reality the Buckeyes will have to adjust to if it wants to make a run.
What’s next
Ohio State returns home Thursday to face Iowa. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
He had been ice cold all day, failing to fund open space against some of the best players in the Big Ten, names like Zach Edey, Trevion Williams and Jaden Ivey. It was a trio that gave Purdue a 20-point lead, one that was seemingly insurmountable.
EJ Liddell, along with freshman Malaki Branham, was able to work Ohio State back, giving the Buckeyes a fighting chance, all it could really ask for.
But it wasn't enough.
With 34 seconds left in the game, junior forward Liddell, the star for the Buckeyes, who had been struggling all day, found himself in the corner, with an open look, hitting a 3 and cutting Ohio State's deficit down to 3.
A Kyle Young steal and a kickout to Liddell for a 3 tied the game at 78 with the clock winding down.
As the buzzer sounded, Ivey showed why he was one of the best players in the country, hitting a buzzer-beating 3 to give Purdue the 81-78 win against Ohio State.
Ivey led the way for the Boilermakers with 21 points, while Edey added 20.
Liddell and Malaki Branham each recorded 20 points.
Where was E.J. Liddell for the majority of the game?
In a showcase of some of the best players in the Big Ten, for most of the day, E.J. Liddell was nowhere to be found.
The Boilermakers’ defensive approach for the Ohio State junior forward was nothing that he wasn’t used to. It was something Liddell usually overcame, whether it’s through fadeaway looks, or drives to the hoop, finding open jumpers from deep.
Sunday, the Big Ten Player of the Year candidate was swallowed in and around the paint area, whether it was against the athleticism of Ivey or the size of both Williams and Edey.
Liddell struggled, making seven of his 16 attempts from the field, missing each of his five of his seven attempts from deep, while adding three rebounds, three assists and four fouls.
His presence was quickly erased, forcing Ohio State to try and make an offensive impact from outside the 3-point line, something that hasn't worked since the start of the new year. The Buckeyes only made nine of their 29 attempts from deep,.
Branham picked up a bit of the slack, scoring 20 points while making seven of 10 attempts from the field and two of three from deep.
But where Liddell goes, this Ohio State team goes. And while he may have showed up in the final moments of Sunday's game, Liddell was too cold.
Ohio State: next victim of Purdue's tenacity in paint
Purdue wasn’t going to change much, and Zed Key knew that.
His job was inside, battling, doing the best he can against a matchup problem the rest of the Big Ten can attest to. And the sophomore forward was having trouble, recording two fouls in his first four minutes of play in the first half, being forced to watch from the bench for the remaining 16.
Key had to know if there was an answer to defending Purdue’s 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey successfully, pulling a referee aside and having a quick conversation before the start of second half play.
Edey showed quickly there was nothing to be done.
Already struggling to stop a resurgent Purdue offense early in the second half, Key took a pass into the paint, pushing his body against Purdue’s brick wall of a center. And when the Ohio State forward found there was no hope, he tried to lob it over Edey’s head, a ball the center just snatched out of thin air like it was meant for him.
The Buckeyes needed more size. They turned to the transfer.
Redshirt senior center Joey Brunk had only been averaging 5.7 minutes per game heading into Sunday’s contest, nearly doubling that in the first half against the Boilermakers.
In terms of physicality, he was matching Purdue in the paint, putting through each of his two scoring attempts in the first 20 minutes, adding three rebounds and two blocks.
In the first half, Brunk was one of two Ohio State players, along with Key who only played four minutes, without a negative plus/minus total, entering the locker room with a zero.
As the game went along, Purdue's slim lead on the glass proved to be enough, recording 38 rebounds compared to the Buckeyes' 32.
It was where Purdue found the space for some of the biggest plays of the game too, forcing the ball inside to Edey with less than four minutes to go and connecting on a jumper off a foul from Brunk.
This was the difference for Purdue. While it was inefficient at best from the free-throw line, the Boilermakers were consistently physical enough inside to lead to 22 fouls by Ohio State and 26 attempts at the free-throw line.
News and notes
After missing Thursday’s game against Minnesota with a foot injury, redshirt senior guard Jamari Wheeler returned to the starting lineup against Purdue, putting up two points in 24 minutes of play with three rebounds, two assists, two trunovers and two steals.
Freshman Meechie Johnson Jr. made his third start of the season with senior forward Justin Ahrens coming off the bench for the first time this season. Johnson scored only three points in his 21 minutes of play, making only one of his five attempts from the floor, while Ahrens made only one of his four attempts from deep in 12 minutes of play.
.
What we learned
This is the standard. This is the level of play Ohio State has to play at if it wants to make a run in the Big Ten tournament and, eventually, the NCAA Tournament.
The Buckeyes looked outmatched at points, especially down low, with players like Key and Brunk doing the best they could against Williams and Edey.
But it wasn't enough. It really was never going to be enough. And that's a reality the Buckeyes will have to adjust to if it wants to make a run.
What’s next
Ohio State returns home Thursday to face Iowa. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
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