No. 16 Buckeyes keep title hopes alive with win at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ohio State guard C.J. Jackson relied on sheer instincts Friday night.

Instead of going with the Buckeyes' designed final play, he changed it on the fly.

When Jackson finally got control of the pass in the closing seconds of double overtime, he faked another pass and spotted up for a 25-footerand that silenced Indiana's crowd with 1.7 seconds left and gave No. 16 Ohio State an 80-78 victory.

"You dream of playing in buildings like this when you're younger and just to have one of these moments is unbelievable," Jackson said after scoring 13 points.

This wasn't just another win for the Buckeyes (24-7, 15-3 Big Ten), either.

They needed this one to have any hope of claiming a share of the conference crown in coach Chris Holtmann's first season. They still need No. 2 Michigan State to lose Sunday at Wisconsin.

And on a night Ohio State dealt with foul trouble and fatigue, Jackson's brilliant switcheroo was exactly what Ohio State needed.

"We ran a similar action for Jae'Sean Tate at the end of the first OT or whatever it was, and we didn't execute that real well. The presence of mind to get the shot up," Holtmann said, shaking his head. "I think CJ may prefer to take a 25-footer rather than get it in a little deeper."

He didn't have much of a choice.

With both teams out of timeouts and Indiana clinging to a 78-77 lead after Juwan Morgan's layup with seven seconds to go, the Buckeyes pushed the ball up the floor.

But rather than look for the trailing Tate or star forward Keita Bates-Diop, Jackson did the natural thing.

"I just felt like I had the best look we were going to get with the time left," he said.

All the Hoosiers could muster was a half-court heave from Robert Johnson that came up well short at the buzzer.

Bates-Diop had 24 points and tied his career-high with 14 rebounds. Tate finished with 12 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Indiana (16-14 9-9) was led by Juwan Morgan with 18 points and Johnson, who had 17 in what could be his final game at Assembly Hall.

"Really disappointed for our fans and our seniors in particular," coach Archie Miller said. "I thought we did enough at the end and we just had a breakdown at the end to contest the shot."

But from the moment Indiana took a 61-59 lead on Josh Newkirk's layup with 3:54 left in regulation, it was a cliffhanger.

Neither team scored after Indiana's Justin Smith made two free throws left with 2:18 in regulation.

Neither team led by more than two in the first overtime, which ended tied at 70.

And neither led by more than one in the second overtime -- until Jackson's knocked down the long 3.

KEY STATS:

Ohio State: Kam Williams scored 15 points and Kaleb Wesson had 12 before fouling out. ... Bates-Diop also finished with four blocks in 45 minutes. ... Four of the Buckeyes' starters played at least 40 minutes. ... Ohio State had a 41-35 rebounding edge.

Indiana: Smith had 16 points for Indiana. ... Josh Newkirk added nine points and six assists with only one turnover. ... The Hoosiers scored only four points during over a stretch of 9:50 in the first half and missed their first seven shots to start the second half. ... Indiana committed 12 turnovers and was 13 of 23 at the free-throw line.

HE SAID IT

"Rest," Holtmann said when asked what his team needs now. "They are exhausted. We just rode some guys because we had too. Jae'Sean Tate literally couldn't function, that's why I called one of those timeouts. He couldn't move. He (Bates-Diop) needs rest in the worst way."

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: No, the Buckeyes aren't going into the conference tournament with the momentum they had hoped. And they may not get even a share of the league crown they craved. But they will be one of the top three seeds and they'll have a few days to get things fixed.

Indiana: Fans who watched the Hoosiers season opening loss to Indiana State may not have recognized the team they saw Friday night. Indiana has progressed steadily all season, understands what coach Archie Miller expects and have learned how to challenge everyone.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: Opens play at the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in New York.

Indiana: Will wait to see who it plays Thursday at the Big Ten Tournament in New York.

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