Replay: Devin Royal's career night leads shorthanded Ohio State past Valparaiso

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Replay: Devin Royal's career night leads shorthanded Ohio State past Valparaiso

Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Wed, Dec 18, 2024 ·

9 min read

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Devin Royal put together a night not seen by Ohio State basketball in nearly 14 years to lead the Buckeyes past Valparaiso.

Three days after a 38-point loss to No. 2 Auburn in Atlanta , Ohio State (7-4) handled business at home with a 95-73 win against Valparaiso (5-5) thanks to Royal's 31-point, 15-rebound effort. Both are career-high totals for the sophomore forward, who was 11 for 16 from the floor and 8 for 9 from the free-throw line.

Evan Mahaffey had 15 points and Micah Parrish and Bruce Thornton each added 14 for the Buckeyes, who now play No. 5 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.

Ohio State Buckeyes: What does Valparaiso mean to Jake Diebler, a program alumnus and Ohio State's coach?

Ohio State was without Meechie Johnson Jr, Aaron Bradshaw, Ques Glover and Colin White for the game.

Here's how it all played out.

Devin Royal tops 30 points, earns standing ovation

The sophomore forward finished a driving layup with 5:07 to play, giving him a career-high 31 points and making him the first Ohio State player to top 30 points since Jamison Battle had 32 against Nebraska on Feb. 29, 2014.

Royal subbed out with 4:24 to play and received a standing ovation as Ohio State led 87-59.

He is the first Ohio State player to score at least 30 points and grab at least 15 rebounds since Jared Sullinger had 30 and 19 against South Carolina on Dec. 18, 2010 - one day shy of 14 years ago.

Ohio State closing out lopsided win against Valparaiso

Devin Royal already has 29 points and 15 rebounds and the Buckeyes hold a 78-52 lead against the Beacons with 6:47 to play.

He's the first Ohio State player with 15 rebounds since Felix Okpara had 15 at Indiana on Jan. 6, 2024.

Ohio State stretches lead past midpoint of second half

Micah Parrish finished a three-point play, giving him 14 points on 8-of-8 free-throw shooting, and Ohio State has extended its lead to 74-50 with 9:06 to play.

The Buckeyes scored on seven straight possessions, eight of their last nine and 12 of their last 14 to stretch their lead from 49-37 to 74-50: a 25-13 run.

Bruce Thornton getting back treatment, Devin Royal keeps scoring

Ohio State's junior point guard has received some treatment to his back during timeouts and briefly went to the locker room before returning and putting a black medical belt of some kind on his back.

He's about to check back into the game with Ohio State ahead 63-48 and 11:53 to play. Devin Royal is having a night to remember: he's up to 29 points and 13 rebounds while seemingly scoring at will.

Devin Royal ties career high

With two free throws exactly two minutes into the second half, Ohio State's Devin Royal is up to 22 points, tying his career-high 22-point effort against Rutgers two games ago.

On the next possession, Royal nabbed his 10th rebound for his third career double-double, all of which have come this season. Ohio State leads 45-37 with 17:17 left.

Ohio State takes 41-30 lead into the half

There were long stretches where it was downright ugly basketball, but Ohio State closed the half by scoring on five of its final seven shots to take an 11-point lead into the break.

Sophomore forward Devin Royal is doing the heavy lifting for the Buckeyes. He's got 18 points and nine rebounds to lead both teams in both categories.

Ohio State's lead was down to 36-30 in the final 30 seconds before Royal drove and finished at the rim to push it to an eight-point advantage, and Valparaiso looked set for the final shot of the half only for Micah Parrish to steal the inbounds pass intended for Ali Wright, score at the rim and draw the foul for a three-point play.

That marked five points in 3.2 seconds of gameplay, giving Ohio State some momentum entering the half.

Bruce Thornton in foul trouble

Ohio State is already shorthanded at the guard spot, and now the Buckeyes are even thinner. WIth 4:39 left in the first half and the lead at 26-18, junior captain and point guard Bruce Thornton picked up his third foul and headed to the bench.

Valparaiso's Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro hit the free throws to pull the Beacons within six points.

Extra-effort plays give Ohio State the lead

Valparaiso's Devon Ellis missed a shot and had the rebound bounce away from the basket and toward an open teammate near the 3-point line. It looked like a clear offensive board for the Beacons, but Ohio State's Evan Mahaffey flew in out of nowhere to deflect it and give Ohio State possession.

After the teams traded 3s, Bruce Thornton drove and missed a layup only to tip out his own rebound and extend the possession. Micah Parrish missed a 3-pointer, but Devin Royal grabbed the miss to keep things going, and when the ball got John Mobley Jr. on the right wing he buried a deep 3-pointer without hesitation.

Ohio State's Jake Diebler called timeout to praise his players as the Buckeyes took a 22-16 lead with 9:06 left.

Sean Stewart in early foul trouble for Ohio State

Ohio State's starting small-ball center picked up one quick foul and was set to be subbed out at the next whistle only to foul Valparaiso's Jefferson De La Cruz Montegro on a jumper in the paint.

He finished the three-point play and Stewart headed to the bench with 16:14 left. Now at the under-16 media timeout, Valparaiso leads Ohio State 12-8 while shooting 3 for 5 from 3-point range.

Austin Parks replaced Stewart.

Who are the starters for Ohio State-Valparaiso?

Ohio State: Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr., Micah Parrish, Devin Royal, Sean Stewart

Valparaiso: Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, All Wright, Tyler Schmidt, Cooper Schwieger, Kaspar Sepp

This is the first career start for Mobley, who is third on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game while shooting a team-best 54.0% (27 for 50) from 3 this season.

Ohio State-Valparaiso pregame video report

Here's a pregame video report from inside Value City Arena.

Meechie Johnson added to Ohio State's list of inactives

The Buckeyes have added a fourth name to their list of unavailable players for tonight's game.

Aaron Bradshaw (return-to-play process), Ques Glover (ankle) and Colin White (ankle) are all out against the Beacons. They've all missed several games, but fifth-year guard Meechie Johnson Jr. is also listed as out against Valparaiso.

According to a team spokesman, Johnson is taking a leave of absence from the team to address some personal matters. It's not immediately clear when he will return .

Johnson has averaged 9.1 points while shooting 35.7% (20 for 56) from 3-point range and starting all 10 games. He averages 28.8 minutes per game, second-most on the team.

Bradshaw will miss his seventh consecutive game, while Glover will miss his eighth and White his fifth in a row.

Valparaiso coach Roger Powell has history at Value City Arena

In addition to having spent five years coaching alongside Diebler both at Valparaiso and at Vanderbilt, second-year Beacons coach Roger Powell was present for one of the most memorable moments in Value City Arena history.

When Ohio State took down undefeated Illinois in the final game of the 2004-05 season, it was Powell who got the final shot for the Fighting Illini. His 3-pointer didn't fall, giving Matt Sylvester one of the most iconic game-winning shots in Ohio State men's basketball history.

Powell finished that game with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds in 34 minutes of playing time.

Ohio State Buckeyes news

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After loss, Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb impressed by Ohio State's defense, physicality
Bruce Thornton hopes for winning season, at last
How does Ohio State's 2025 class fit into the changing college basketball landscape?
Jake Diebler opens up about the path to his first season as Ohio State's head coach
With rebuilt staff, roster, Jake Diebler hopes to return winning culture to Ohio State
Did you see our Ohio State preseason power rankings ?
Ohio State's Meechie Johnson aiming for storybook ending to emotional career
A kid at heart: Ohio State's Devin Royal gives back to Pickerington
On 'back nine' of career, Dave Dickerson returns to Ohio State with emotional purpose

Ohio State vs Valparaiso betting odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Dec. 17

ODDS:Ohio State -21.5

O/U:150.5

Moneyline: N/A

Ohio State vs Valparaiso history

Series record:Ohio State leads 2-1
Ohio State's last win:Nov. 25, 2011 (80-47)
Valparaiso's last win: Nov. 25, 2000 (67-64, Great Alaskan Shootout, vacated by NCAA sanctions on Ohio State)

Ohio State Buckeyes 2024-25 schedule, record

Here's a look at the Buckeyes' schedule, along with start times, television, and radio information of upcoming games:

Monday, Nov. 4:Ohio State 80, Texas 72 ( takeaways )
Monday, Nov. 11: Ohio State 81, Youngstown State 47 ( takeaways )
Friday, Nov. 15: Texas A&M 78, Ohio State 64 ( takeaways )
Tuesday, Nov. 19: Ohio State 80, Evansville 30 ( takeaways )
Friday, Nov. 22: Ohio State 104, Campbell 60 ( takeaways )
Monday, Nov. 25: Ohio State 102, Green Bay 69 ( takeaways )
Friday, Nov. 29: Pitt 91, Ohio State 90 (OT) ( takeaways )
NOVEMBER RECORD:5-2
Wednesday, Dec. 4: Maryland 83, Ohio State 59 ( takeaways )
Saturday, Dec. 7: Ohio State 80, Rutgers 66 ( takeaways )
Saturday, Dec. 14: No. 2 Auburn 91, Ohio State 53 ( takeaways )
Tuesday, Dec. 17: Ohio State vs. Valparaiso | 8 p.m. | Peacock | 97.1 FM
Saturday, Dec. 21: Ohio State vs. Kentucky in New York City | 5:30 p.m. | CBS | 97.1 FM
Sunday, Dec. 29: Ohio State vs. Indiana State | noon | BTN | 97.1 FM
DECEMBER RECORD:1-2