Maybe it was the home court advantage, or better preparedness, but whatever the case, Ohio State avenged an earlier, 74-70, loss to Indiana by thumping the Hoosiers, 80-63, dropping #7th-ranked Indiana to 3-3 in the wide-open Big Ten.The Buckeyes got a career high 27 points from unheralded sophomore guard, Lenzelle Smith Jr., who more than tripled his scoring average, hitting 10 of 12 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 three-pointers. Smith also pulled down seven rebounds as the #5 Buckeyes rolled to the convincing win, and are now 15-3 on the season and 4-2 in the conference, in third place, behind co-leaders Illinois and Michigan State, at 4-1.
Ohio State left little doubt about the outcome of this rematch, taking an early lead and outscoring the Hoosiers, 35-14, in the first half. The Buckeyes shot 54% for the game and forced 18 Indiana turnovers.
