Buckeyes Had Much to Prove

Saturday's game in Value City Arena had a familiar begginging, but an unfamiliar outcome: The Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the Florida Gators.

After Florida took a 9-2 lead, many Buckeye fans were scratching their heads wondering, "Not Again." But the Bucks would take a 30-10 run late into the first half. And the Bucks showed something on a national level.

This was the fifth big game for the team, but this year hasn't been kind. They have been 1-3 against top tier teams. Give the Buckeyes some credit, they have defeated all the teams they were "supposed to" beat. They also have played four of the RPI's top 15 teams. But back to the Florida game.

This was the biggest game the Buckeyes could have, without even going back to last year's humiliation at the hands of Florida. Conference season starts in less than two weeks; the Big Ten is tough to boot. Having a legitimate win against a good SEC team is a big step in the right direction. Florida also came in looking like every other Big Ten team. They attempted to run an offensive set like most teams in the Big Ten do. Get it in to the big man, and look for the post up shot or kick out for the three. The Buckeyes lived up to the challenge on defense by keeping Florida under 50 points.

Now the Buckeyes await Maryland Baltimore County. I know that game has blowout and or boring written all over it. However this team has a higher RPI ranking than Illinois, and we all know how good Illinois is. I know it is early, but when you see your team going into conference season in the RPI top 30, you have to feel pretty good about yourself.