Alarming information: Ohio State’s 73-69 Jake Diebler gave each player a post-match hug after his team defeated No. 2 Purdue.
Ohio’s Columbus On Sunday, Ohio State upset No. 2 Purdue 73-69 at home, following their Tuesday loss to Wisconsin 62-54.Jake Diebler served as Ohio State’s interim head coach after Chris Holtmann’s contract was terminated earlier this week.
Ohio State took the lead for the first time, 29–28, with 2:51 left in the first half, and led 35–30 at the break. Halfway through the first 20 minutes of play, the score was tied at 16.
In the second half, Ohio State embarked on a 9-0 run led by Jameson Battle, who made three three-pointers, to take a 50-38 lead.
Purdue tied the game at 65 with 1:17 remaining, but Battle’s jump shot for Ohio State responded. After Zed Key was stolen, the Buckeyes got possession of the ball and made free throws to win the game and finish it.
Ohio State lost 22 points due to Purdue’s 14 turnovers, while Key had five steals. Bruce Thornton scored a team-high 22 points to lead the Buckeyes.
Diebler, Jameson Battle, and Bruce Thornton spoke with the media after the game to discuss the win. These are the key characteristics.
Diebler, Jake
What a powerful group! The players should be highly commended for their excellent collaboration. They became close as if they were a true family. The sight of them all hugging in the changing area was breathtaking.
He had a conversation with Chris Holtmann a few nights prior, and that conversation gave him a tremendous level of comfort and confidence in accepting this post.
He gave the players instructions on how to carry out their drills. There was a great sense of urgency and timing.
Diebler remarked on how the game finished differently today, noting that they had talked about how important it was to stay aggressive and swing in leads as they entered it.
There were a few really good performances in this game, and everyone appeared committed to playing aggressively until the very end. He was proud of their work, particularly on defense.
He was worried about the game, but the advice was to stay true to himself. Diebler was emotional after the game, both on the floor and in the locker room.
Diebler talked about the rotation and how, despite the team’s youth being well known, they still believe in the guys who are sitting on the bench in the locker room.
It was their intention for players to play until they were worn out on the court, at which point they would need to be replaced.
They have to continue approaching their work with this level of urgency.
He made no adjustments to their pre-game routine. However, this time, the time went by considerably faster. He hoped for half an hour more.
Jameson Battle
Battle said that the most crucial thing was for them to be in the present, become closer through the difficulty, and not let the past impact them when they reconciled after a difficult week. They ventured outdoors and had a great time.
Battle said that his teammates saw him in those spots and trusted him when he had a fresh opportunity in the second half, following his three 3-pointers in sixty-one seconds. Part of it was also a heat check.
Battle said that he hired Ohio State’s head coach, Jake Diebler, through recruitment. Diebler provided the zeal, and they matched his coaching style by increasing the intensity and speed of practice.
In order to maintain tempo and intensity, he also talked at length about replacements and coming into and going out of games.
Bruce Thornton
This past week, while playing collegiate basketball, he endured one of the hardest weeks of his life. But he told the players, At this moment, we are all we have. All they wanted to show was basketball from Ohio State, regardless of the players.
It was amazing to see how cohesive the coaching staff, teammates, and Buckeye Nation were. His adrenaline is rushing right now.
Thornton defended Zed Key, saying they knew he had promise even though he had never seen him play like he did tonight. Tonight was his night to prove it. Now that we know what he’s capable of, he can no longer trick us.
None of them could look Zach Edey in the eye. They had to be sure to try more than once to grab the ball away from him because of his size.
Edey would inevitably get some because of his stature, but neutralizing him defensively would take a team effort.
In response to Jake Diebler’s communication, Thornton said he wanted to make sure he was mentally okay.
They saw firsthand how important it is to keep getting better every day. Despite the peculiar circumstances, they succeeded. They won today by displaying all of their swagger, arrogance, and annoyance.
