Kentucky is a state known for horse racing and basketball. On Saturday, Ohio State found out that basketball in Kentucky may sometimes resemble a horse race.
The men’s basketball team traveled to Freedom Hall over the weekend to face off against Louisville and came away with their first loss of the season, 66-61. The relatively low score was misleading for the way the game was played — fast, physical and hectic.
“Louisville is a very good defensive team,” said coach Jim O’Brien. “They’re real active and aggressive and there’s a lot of contact and it was hard for us to get into our offense.”
Rick Pitino, in his first season as Cardinals coach, already has his team playing with the intensity level that some of his better Kentucky teams of the past decade were famous for.
“This was one of my favorite wins because it was a game won in the trenches, won on defense,” Pitino said. “On a night where we missed a lot of shots … we still were able to overcome all of that with great defense.”
The Cardinals (6-1) did have a subpar shooting night, ending up shooting 38 percent from the field, only 53 percent from the foul line and going 4-for-28 from behind the arc.
The Buckeyes (6-1) were unable to capitalize, managing to shoot only slightly better in every category.
Another area OSU struggled in was handling the ball, where they committed 16 turnovers, mostly due to Louisville’s continuos pressure. Senior guard Brian Brown, known for his smart plays and good ball-handling ability, ended the night with seven turnovers and only three assists.
The 19,523 fans who attended the game also contributed to the chaotic nature of the game. Freedom Hall was about three times as loud as the Schottenstein Center has been during any of the Buckeyes first six games.
“Playing here was a factor,” O’Brien said. “We hard a hard time communicating with each other.
“But if we want to be a good team, these are the types of games you need to win. You have to be able to go into a tough place against good teams and win those games.”
One bright spot for the Buckeyes was the play of freshman center Terence Dials, who played only 17 minutes but corralled 13 rebounds.
Senior Will Dudley started the first four games at center for OSU and sophomore Velimir Radinovic started the last three, but many around the program feel that Dials will soon be the new starter at the five spot.
“I think Terence was a big factor and a big presence under the basket, and that’s what we’re looking for,” O’Brien said.
The Buckeyes next test will come on Wednesday when they return home for a game against Pittsburgh. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Schottenstein Center.
