By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) —
COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s offense vanished, lost in the foul trouble of leading scorer Evan Turner, rimmed-out 3-pointers and the doldrums of finals week, the Buckeyes playing Saturday for the first time in seven days.

“We showed no confidence,” said Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who could see his players’ minds wander as they took the court after timeouts. “I felt like we played at times on our heels.”

Over the final 15 minutes against Butler, Ohio State made 2 of 15 shots, 7 of 16 free throws and committed four turnovers while a 13-point lead evaporated. Yet the No. 21 Buckeyes walked off the court as one of 15 undefeated teams among the 347 that play Division I basketball thanks to a defense they know isn’t going anywhere.

Their 54-51 win against the formerly undefeated Bulldogs wasn’t secured until Gordon Hayward missed a leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer after making 7 of the previous 10 3-pointers he attempted. But like the season-high 19 turnovers committed by the Bulldogs (8-1), that wasn’t a coincidence.

“It wasn’t a great look,” said Butler coach Brad Stevens, “but with the way they play that zone, it’s tough to get a great look right there.”

Even the turnovers that may have looked unforced Stevens credited to the general pressure the Buckeyes (5-0) apply. Ohio State ranks in the top 10 in the country in opponents’ shooting percentage and Butler came in making 44 percent of its shots but made just 32 percent Saturday. While Hayward scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, the rest of the Bulldogs were 7 of 32 (22 percent).
So even when they came back from a 43-30 deficit, it was at a crawl, not a run. Butler tied the game at 51 with 3:58 to play, then missed five 3-pointers for either the lead or another tie — some of it bad luck, some of it good defense.

“None of us flinched,” OSU center Dallas Lauderdale said, “because we have total confidence in our defense. And we knew we had to get stops. We had to dig down deep and we were all tired, but we needed to get stops if we wanted to win.”

The OSU efforts at the other end of the court weren’t going very well. With Turner sitting out a crucial four-minute stretch late in the game after picking up his fourth foul, the Buckeyes were particularly stagnant.

“He opens up so many things because one man can’t guard him,” Lauderdale said.

“That obviously set us back a little bit,” OSU coach Thad Matta said, “but we’ve got to learn to play when we’re in foul trouble like we were today.”

Turner still led the Buckeyes with 14 points and scored the go-ahead basket with 3:07 to play on a spin move, pump fake and 14-foot jumper in the lane. David Lighty added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Lauderdale had 9 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, high-fiving two fans in the front row and bringing the crowd of 13,976 to its feet after swatting one 3-pointer.

“Sometimes the adrenaline just takes over,” Lauderdale said through a smile.

But by missing six of their last eight free throws, the Buckeyes kept Butler in the game. When they had to, the Buckeyes made the other guys miss, too.