Friday's Shootaround

Ohio State 72, James Madison 44: Yes, I know its early. Yes, I know that Ohio State hasn't played any competition. Yes, I also know that the rest of the country has yet to play a game. But after his first two games, Evan Turner has to be on the short list of player of the year candidates. After notching just the second triple-double in school history on Monday night, Turner followed that up with a 24 point, 17 rebound, 4 assists, and 2 steal game last night.

Evan Turner has 34 rebounds through two games.
(photo credit: AP)

After the Buckeyes jumped out to a 10-2 lead, the Dukes were able to hang around for a while, eventually knotting the game up at 16. A Turner three at the end of the half capped an 11-5 surge for Ohio State, who took a 34-25 lead at the break. They continued that momentum to open the second half, breaking the game open with a 20-5 run that put the Dukes away.

David Lighty once again looked like he was fully recovered from his broken foot as he notched 14 points, slashing his way to the rim. William Buford also added 12 points, but his 0-2 showing from deep puts him at 33.3% on the season. If Buford can become a legitimate three point threat this season, he becomes that much more well-rounded, and it opens that much more space for Turner to create. Buford did have a couple nice drives to the rim, however.

Perhaps the biggest piece of information we got from this game was that center Dallas Lauderdale was back from his broken hand. While he came off the bench and only mustered 13 minutes, he was pretty productive, blocking two shots and grabbing two of his four rebounds on the offensive end. Lauderdale's presence inside is so important for Ohio State. Not only will his shot blocking presence allow the lanky wings of the Buckeyes the chance to gamble more in their 2-3, he provides a tough rebounding and defensive presence in the lane. Nothing against Kyle Madsen of Zisis Sarikopolous, but those two have combined to averaged just 7 ppg and 5.5 rpg in 31 mpg over the first two contests.

As we mentioned Tuesday, one of the keys for Ohio State offensively is the ability of Turner to grab an defensive rebound and lead the break himself without an outlet pass. He did that quite a bit last night as well. With the talent of Lighty, Buford, Jon Diebler, and even Jeremie Simmons running the floor on the wings, the Buckeyes should continue to look to take advantage of this.


Other games of interest:

• NC State 69, Georgia State 53: NC State pulled out the win, but the Wolfpack did not look overly impressive, especially on the offensive end, last night. Tracy Smith posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards, while Julius Mays and Dennis Horner added 16 and 15, respectively. Javier Gonzalez had 8 points, 8 boards, and 8 assists, which included a three off an offensive rebound that sparked an 18-5 run to put the Panthers away.