The Ohio State men’s basketball team showed no signs of slowing down on the way to its 73-59 victory over Team Nike on Tuesday night.

The Buckeyes continued to feed off their traditional fast-paced style of basketball as the back court led the way for the home team.

“It served a purpose. We played well in the first half and were able to get a lot of different guys in, even though it may have hurt our momentum as the game went on,” said OSU men’s basketball coach Jim O’Brien when asked to rate his team’s performance following their first exhibition game.

OSU jumped out to an early 12-point lead with the help of its leading returning scorer, senior guard Brent Darby. He converted on his first field goal attempt seven seconds into the game, giving the Buckeyes a lead which they would not relinquish.

“This is a situation I’ve been looking to be in since I came to Ohio State,” Darby said. “We’ve got a lot of young players looking for some type of leadership, so when things get tough for us on the court, I need to be the one to step up and calm us down.”

Though the senior captain was ready for some immediate adversity, OSU played one step ahead its opponents for the majority of the contest.

Sophomore guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, who saw minimal time last season, was primed to anchor the Buckeyes. At the point position Fuss-Cheatham set the offensive tone by penetrating Team Nike’s defense and getting all of his teammates involved.

“Brandon had a good floor game and was a real bright spot for us,” O’Brien said. “We wanted to move the ball, and that helps him to penetrate and get into the lane.”

Fuss-Cheatham finished the night with eight points and eight assists while committing only one turnover. The sophomore controlled the perimeter when the team struggled to establish a consistent threat underneath the basket.

“It was a good start for us, and I think the guys came in confident,” he said. “We can move the ball up and down, but we definitely have a lot of things we need to tighten up. Overall I think coach wanted our tempo to be fast.”

OSU’s tempo needed to be fast as the team’s big men fought to make their presence felt down low. Juniors Velimir Radinovic and Zach Williams, who will be primarily looked upon to contribute to the Buckeyes’ half-court offense, were a combined three of 13 from the field. Sophomore center Terence Dials overcame a slow start to finish strong in the second half. Dials contributed eight points to OSU’s final total.

“We would have liked our big guys to score a little bit better, because we’re going to have to go to them,” O’Brien said. “I’m more concerned on getting good looks. It’s just a matter of passing and catching and making the shots that we can make.”

Eleven different players scored for the win, with Darby and senior guard Sean Connolly leading the way for the Buckeyes. Darby netted 21 points, while Connolly added 10 in the effort.

Darby said the game was a learning process for his younger teammates.

“It’s all part of a game-by-game learning process,” he said. “All of the young guys came in prepared to play, and it gave us a great lift, but we still need to tighten up a few loose ends. Once everyone learns the offense and adjusts to the pace of the game, we’ll be ready.”