Jared Sullinger leads the AnnArbor.com three stars list after Ohio State's win over Michigan
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State freshman forward Jared Sullinger may not be the best player in the country, but if he isn't, he's mighty close.
The Columbus native dominated Michigan during the No. 1 Buckeyes' 62-53 win on Thursday with 19 points, 15 rebounds and two assists. He was efficient, too, making 7 of his 10 shots.
So it's no surprise he is AnnArbor.com's top star from Thursday's game. Who joined him? Click the jump to find out.
First star: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State The freshman National Player of the Year candidate was dominant, scoring 19 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and generally having his way with the Wolverines. He had 11 of his 19 points and seven of his 15 rebounds in the second half, when the Buckeyes pulled away from the Wolverines.
Second star: Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan The freshman forward continued his ascent to being a standout player, driving through the lane and leading the Wolverines in scoring with 15 points. He also had the two flashiest plays of the night in the first half — a one-handed reverse dunk and a driving layup through a double-team along the baseline. There were points where he was clearly the most athletic player on the floor.
Third star: William Buford, Ohio State The junior made critical shots when Ohio State needed it and also played good defense on the Wolverines. He had 13 points, including a 3-pointer that gave Ohio State a seven-point lead, 43-36. The Buckeyes never trailed again.
Three Stars Season Tally: Darius Morris, Michigan: 11 Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan: 9 Zack Novak, Michigan: 7 Jordan Morgan, Michigan: 4 Evan Smotrycz, Michigan: 3 Stu Douglass, Michigan: 2 Jon Horford, Michigan: 1 Jeff Meyer, Michigan assistant coach: 1 Matt Vogrich, Michigan: 1 Brady Hoke, Michigan football coach: 1 Rocko Holmes, Concordia: 1 Marcus Morris, Kansas: 1 Markieff Morris, Kansas: 1 Keith Wright, Harvard: 1 Jordan Hulls, Indiana: 1 Verdell Jones III, Indiana: 1 Kalin Lucas, Michigan State: 1 Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota: 1 Rodney Williams, Minnesota: 1 Landon Clement, North Carolina Central: 1 John Shurna, Northwestern: 1 Juice Thompson, Northwestern: 1 Luka Mirkovic, Northwestern: 1 David Lighty, Ohio State: 1 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State: 1 William Buford, Ohio State: 1 Talor Battle, Penn State: 1 JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: 1 Ryne Smith, Purdue: 1 Scoop Jardine, Syracuse: 1 Kris Joseph, Syracuse: 1 Randy Culpepper, UTEP: 1 John Bohannon, UTEP: 1 Jon Leuer, Wisconsin: 1 Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin: 1 The rims at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.: 1
Michael Rothstein covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.
Comments
NoBowl4Blue
Fri, Feb 4, 2011 : 8:22 p.m.
Every loss Tater blames the officiating. If Michigan would pound it inside they would get to the foul line.
catfishrisin
Fri, Feb 4, 2011 : 4:41 p.m.
If nothing else, you Wolverine fans are an optimistic lot. If it wasn't for the poor" officiating", or "once they get older". Face the facts, your team (fill in sport) lost again to OSU. Get used to it. By the way, Brady "Hope" is not your savior, I'm sorry you were misinformed.
tater
Fri, Feb 4, 2011 : 2:42 p.m.
The officiating crew should be at the top of the list, at least from an OSU perspective. They decided for about three or four minutes in the second half that everything Michigan did on either side of the floor was a foul. After the one gross flop that the OSU defender was trying not to laugh about when it was called, Michigan gave up for about two minutes, and it was just enough for OSU to pull away. OSU may or may not have won without the help of the officials, but it would have been nice to find out. It was really sad to see officiating play such a huge role in denying a young team with a great game plan a chance at a major upset. The good thing to take from this is that when the Wolverines get older, they will take terrible officiating in stride, keep playing hard for all forty minutes, and hope it eventually balances out.