Ohio State Takes Down Number-One Michigan State

Keita Bates-Diop had a national coming out party and Ohio State basketball got its biggest win in years as the Buckeyes absolutely trashed number-one Michigan State in Columbus this afternoon, 80-64. With this loss, the Spartans become yet another powerhouse team to lose to an unheralded opponent early in conference play, after then-top-ranked Villanova got blown out by Butler last weekend, and current number-two Duke went down to NC State Saturday night (and also lost to Boston College in December).

It didn’t look so bad for the Spartans in the game’s first 18 minutes, as the two teams were tied with 1:14 remaining in the first half. But from that point on, Ohio State took control, going on a wild 12-0 run into the break that was capped by a long buzzer beater from former Michigan walk-on Andrew Dakich.

In the second half, OSU kept it up, adding four points to their halftime advantage and riding more than anyone the scoring of Keita Bates-Diop. The junior forward missed most of last season with a leg injury, but this year, he’s broken out. Today, he had 32 points, which is a new career high that immediately follows up a double-double against Iowa.

Ohio State, who nobody expected to be good this year in Chris Holtmann’s first season, is now 4-0 in Big Ten play, and they have their first upset of a number-one team since the Greg Oden squad beat Wisconsin in 2007. Their victory today reinforces once again that there are no dominant teams in college basketball this year, though Villanova will likely regain the top ranking in tomorrow’s polls.