COLUMBUS — Ohio State responded to its loss at Iowa the only way it knows how, by fighting. Behind Bruce Thornton’s leadership, John Mobley Jr’s 3-point shot-making, and a collective edge, the Buckeyes dominated and outlasted No. 8 Purdue on Saturday afternoon in a statement 82-74 win that had Value City Arena rocking, and eventually stormed.
After the win, head coach Jake Diebler and players Thornton and Mobley Jr. addressed the media, as did Purdue head coach Matt Painter. Here are the highlights from the podium:
Jake Diebler
+ On the locker room coming into this game and responding to the Iowa loss, Diebler said his players were ready and excited. They felt confident in the plan, and when they found out they had everybody available, it amped it up even more. The toughness and connection they showed against one of the best teams in the country was great. They didn’t know who would play until this morning. The players worked so hard and showed great toughness just to be available, working day and night. “It was nice to have everybody out there.” They celebrated their trainers and team doctor in the locker room because they put in overtime.
+ On the character of the team, Diebler said toughness, because that’s just who they are as players. They’ve had to do it many times this year.
+ On Matt Painter saying Ohio State was the tougher team, Diebler said it could have been easy to get caught up in the X’s and O’s against Purdue, but it was going to come down to toughness and effort. Painter is an ambassador for college basketball, and they respect Purdue.
+ Devin Royal found a way to impact the game by going to the glass and getting to the free throw line. Amare Bynum and Christoph Tilly found ways to be available and stepped up. Ivan Njegovan did great, and what Mobley and Thornton did offensively… Diebler said he could go down the list. “It was a total team effort.”
+ On being 3-0 against Purdue, Diebler said he wishes they had a secret sauce against Purdue, but they prepare as hard as they can for every game. It was great to be home, and that helped give them an advantage, but the players executed and the team had the fight. “Our guys put that on display today at a high level.”
+ On seeing the court storming, Diebler said as long as they could get Purdue’s team and staff off the court safely, he loved it. A lot of people have been working to create an environment, Buckeye Nation has been great, and he is all for celebrating it. It was executed well by the staff because it was delayed a bit.
+ “Royal was a monster on the glass today.” It speaks to his maturity and how his game has evolved, even when it’s not his best night offensively. He had big rebounds, especially down the stretch.
+ The team was able to fight the fatigue down the stretch a bit more with the rotations they had.
+ On whether they will still be day-to-day with a number of injuries or if players being back means they are back for good, Diebler said he hopes they will be and hopes they are in the training room right now. The coaches have to manage time on the court efficiently, but their sickness that has lingered is moving on. The good thing is they have players fighting to get on the court. It’s a fine line deciding how much they walk through versus going full speed, and sometimes it’s a last-minute decision. He is thankful the players are working so hard to be available.
+ Diebler said they adjusted the ball screen attack and moved Thornton around to respond to how he has been crowded in the paint. That was an adjustment they made after Iowa, and having Tilly out there helped with that.
Bruce Thornton
+ On the turnaround after losing at Iowa, Thornton said they weren’t themselves and came together and said that’s not who they are. They watched the film and knew it wasn’t them. Today, they played together. They hit a wall against Iowa, but this team knows how to respond and fight. “One thing about this team this year, we’re going to fight.”
+ On withstanding Purdue’s runs when they cut the lead from 14 to seven, Thornton said they hold people accountable and knew what they needed to do to win. Purdue is a great team and is systematic, but today they fought for each possession, won every 50-50 ball, handled the little details, and it showed.
+ On what was clicking defensively, Thornton said Purdue wants deep post-ups and they needed to fight through ball screens. That was a big emphasis for them, and they executed while minimizing wide-open shots.
+ This win doesn’t feel bigger than any other because that’s how it is in the Big Ten, every game is a big game, but this one feels good.
+ It was great to celebrate with the fans on the court after the game, and it was fun.
John Mobley Jr.
+ The players had individual meetings after Iowa and came out and played their hearts out.
+ The team has been through situations this year and has “lived and learned.” They kept their foot on the gas even when they were leading in this game, up 12.
+ It felt good to see the 3s hit, and he credited his teammates for finding him. He missed his first two and wishes he could have those back.
+ Mobley wasn’t used to shooting with tape on two fingers on his shooting hand, but he learned the right mechanics to shoot with buddy tape and spent a lot of time in the gym.
+ Mobley Jr. said it was his first-ever court storming and it was a crazy experience. Mobley Jr. joked that Thornton was being “Mr. Nonchalant” about it.
Matt Painter
+ On how Purdue struggled defensively without fouling, Painter said they wanted to limit Mobley and not let him get in a rhythm. They also wanted to be aggressive with Thornton and not let him get downhill, but he beat them off the dribble in one-on-one situations and that hurt. Ohio State was quicker to the basketball and was better overall. The Boilermakers’ inability to keep the ball in front of them hurt them.
+ Painter said his centers needed to stop fouling and be physical without fouling, and anchor the back line. His team is inconsistent, and he wishes it was one or two players, but it’s collective. They go in and out of good possessions.
+ On Bruce Thornton and coaching against him for four years, Painter said he’s great and that a lot of young people aren’t professional …he’s a professional. Painter said they went to see him a lot in high school, but he chose Ohio State. Thornton is what college basketball is all about. He could have run, transferred, or left, but he’s all about his team and just wants to win. “Good for him.” Painter said he has all the individual accolades, but he knows Thornton would trade that to be in the NCAA Tournament. Painter said they have good guys in his program and vet the right people, and Thornton was that. “Dude’s like that are gold.”
+ “Ohio State played harder than us. There’s not one person saying Ohio State won because Purdue played harder.” Purdue needs to be able to impose its will on people and doesn’t. They go in and out, which is a harder fix as a coach.
