Ohio State’s backcourt duo of Brian Brown and Brent Darby were on an offensive tear before arriving at Breslin Center on Sunday.
Brown and Darby combined for an average of 28.1 points per game before losing to MSU (14-9 overall, 5-5 Big Ten) 67-64. Darby had scored more than 20 points in each of the Buckeyes’ last three games, while Brown has scored double digits in 17 straight games.
“The last couple games Darby and Brown were unbelievable,” freshman guard Chris Hill said. “We really wanted to concentrate on shutting down their penetration as much as we could.
“They’re so talented at getting around corners and drawing fouls.”
And that’s just what the Spartans did as Darby and Brown shot 1-of-6 for two points in the first half.
Brown came 28.7 seconds from not scoring double digits. But a triple from the corner in the final minute pushed him to 11 points on the night.
After the shot, MSU head coach Tom Izzo thought the game would go down to the wire.
“Brian Brown hit that big three that closed the margin and I thought we were in a little bit of trouble,” Izzo said.
The fact that No. 16 Ohio State went to Brown down the stretch after his poor shooting shows how good of a shooter he is, Hill said.
“He had a great second half,” Hill said. “You have to give him a lot of credit. He’s a great player and fought back for them, but luckily we were able to hang on.”
Brown finished 4-of-17, while Darby went 5-for-13 for 14 points. They each shot 1-of-4 from the three-point line.
The Buckeyes’ third leading scorer, guard Boban Savovic, also was shut down by the Spartans. Savovic entered Breslin averaging 11.5 points per night. He finished with 7 points on 2-of-6 shooting.
“We’re not going to win many games if our guards shoot (11-for-36),” Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien said. “And it’s not a secret that our guards have to shoot the ball well if we are going to win. I thought we had some decent looks underneath the basket and on the perimeter, but we have to make our shots.”
Izzo admitted the Buckeyes’ shot poorly, but said sophomore guard Marcus Taylor and the rest of MSU’s backcourt defended the Buckeye guards well.
“Darby’s an incredible guard,” Izzo said. “Marcus did a decent job guarding him and maybe they missed some shots they normally make. But I thought we were in position.”
Izzo also said freshman guard Kelvin Torbert did a good job guarding Darby, even though Torbert only played 19 minutes because of foul trouble.
Torbert, who finished with three points, said despite his low offensive output he was glad to contribute to MSU’s defensive game plan.
“That was our main focus,” Torbert said. “We didn’t want to let them get off because the rest of the team feeds off them. We made a conscious effort to get around the screens and call out things.
“You have to take something positive out of everything. We got a big win and that’s a good thing because they’re a great team.”
