Prior to Monday, there had only been one triple-double recorded in Ohio State men’s basketball history.
Now, Evan Turner can be added as the second person to make the list.
Twenty-three years after Dennis Hopson’s 27 point, 11 rebound, 10 assist performance, Evan Turner recorded 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in OSU’s season-opening 100-60 win over Alcorn State.
The triple-double was something Turner wasn’t expecting.
“I never really thought about it to tell you the truth,” Turner said. “It’s really cool to get a triple-double and be in the same company as Dennis Hopson.”
The Buckeyes began the game on a 20-5 run, and never looked back.
As expected, junior Dallas Lauderdale was sidelined as he continues to recover from a broken hand.
Starting in his place was senior Kyle Madsen, who scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes of play.
“Kyle banged a couple shots down,” coach Thad Matta said. “He’s a guy that can step out to 17 feet and shoot it and I’m very comfortable with him doing that.”
Junior Jon Diebler scored 22 points, including six three-pointers. Sophomore William Buford added 19 points of his own on 8-14 shooting. David Lighty made his return from injury, scoring eight points.
“We feel very confident with the personnel we have going up against anybody,” Diebler said. “Tonight we showed how much of a threat we are. We have some weapons on this team. “
Alcorn State was led by guard Jonathan Boyd, who finished with 20 points. Boyd was an impressive 6-10 from behind the three point arc.
However, the night belonged to Turner. Alcorn State simply had no answer for the Buckeyes’ do-everything guard.
“He’s one of the best players in the country because he makes everyone around us better,” Diebler said. “That’s something you can’t teach.”
Turner and the Buckeyes play again Thursday at home against James Madison at 7 p.m.
