Ohio State shocks No. 4 Kentucky 85-65 at Madison Square Garden

By Priyanka Halder Dec 22, 20240

Ohio State men’s basketball gifted its fans an early Christmas present, upsetting No. 4 Kentucky 85-65, at Madison Square Garden. The Buckeyes added a statement win to their resume through a strong defensive performance and 30-point game from guard Bruce Thornton.

It’s the Wildcats second loss of the season, worst shooting performance of the year and the program’s biggest loss in nearly two years.

Katz’s weekly word: UConn re-enters top 10 in men’s basketball Power 37 rankings

Although Kentucky shot just 29.8% from the field and 18.2% from three in the first half, Ohio State didn’t create separation until nine minutes remained before the break. The Buckeyes turned great defense into better offense, mounting a lead as high as 10 points backed by not allowing the Wildcats to not find the bottom of basket for over eight minutes.

By halftime, Ohio State led 39-30.

And it only got worse for the Wildcats after halftime — largely due to Thornton. After a quiet first half, the preseason All-Big Ten Team member dropped 22 points in the second half. Kentucky struggled to get the lid off the rim even more, shooting just 26.5% from the field with multiple scoring droughts.

Shot clock cheese! 😱 @Bruce2T_| #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/QN6EefkmYO

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) December 22, 2024

The 20-point win potentially puts the Buckeyes (8-4, 1-1 Big Ten) back on track after suffering back-to-back losses to Pitt and Maryland to begin December. They started the season on a high note with a ranked-win against Texas at the Hall of Fame series.

The team is still without starting guard Meechie Johnson, who reportedly took a leave of absence to “address some personal matters” according to a team spokesperson on Dec. 17.

The Wildcats (10-2, 0-0 SEC) will look to bounce back on Dec. 31 against Brown.

Priyanka Halder

Online journalism refers to the practice of reporting, writing, editing, and publishing news and information on the internet. It encompasses a wide range of content, from breaking news stories to in-depth features, and can be produced by traditional news organizations, freelance journalists, or citizen journalists. Online journalism offers numerous benefits, including the ability to reach a global audience, the flexibility to update stories in real-time, and the capacity to incorporate multimedia elements such as videos, images, and interactive graphics. However, it also poses challenges, such as the need to verify the accuracy of information and the threat of misinformation.