Lets Get It Started

Hannah McCaffrey takes a look at the results of the first round of games in the Big Ten.

(AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

As everyone knows, this past weekend officially kicked off college basketball season.  The Big Ten teams started things off right. Out of the gate Ohio State is impressively ranked No. 3 with No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 18 Michigan following suit.  Here are the results from this weekend:

Results Friday Nov. 11

Michigan vs. Ferris State 59-33

Purdue vs. N. Illinois 98-34

Nebraska vs. South Dakota 65-48

Illinois vs. Loyola (Il.) 67-49

Ohio State vs. Wright State 73-42

Indiana vs. Stony Brook 96-66

Minnesota vs. Bucknell 70-58

North Carolina vs. Michigan State 67-55

Results Saturday Nov. 12

Wisconsin vs. Kennesaw State 85-31

Penn State vs. Hartford 70-55

Ohio State played a great game against Wright State.  This is a young team, and the Buckeyes are charged with the task of replacing three starters from last year.  As expected, sophomore Jared Sullinger stepped up, scoring 19 points with nine boards.  Senior William Buford also contributed greatly with 13 points and four assists.

The Buckeyes really took charge of the game by making sure the fundamentals were there.  OSU went 26 for 39 at the free-throw line with Wright State scoring only 10 out of 15.

With a team comprised of just two upperclassmen, the bench got a lot of play with 10 players getting at least nine minutes of time each.  It is important for starters to get used to playing with one another, but right now the team needs to work collectively to figure out who can step up and make plays happen.  “They’re a young ballclub.  For them to go on the road, first game, they had pretty good poise,” said Coach Matta.

The next game will be a challenge and a test for the Buckeyes.  OSU plays No. 8 Florida this Wednesday.