Smith, No. 5 Ohio State easily beat No. 7 Indiana

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Lenzelle Smith Jr. has been the weakest offensive player for Ohio State, so it seemed only natural that Indiana coach Tom Crean would choose to have his defense apply more pressure on the other Buckeyes.

That strategy backfired when Smith had the best game of his career.

Smith more than doubled his career high with 28 points on Sunday to lead No. 5 Ohio State to a surprisingly easy 80-63 victory over seventh-ranked Indiana.

"Throughout the game, I just saw my man leave me every single time," said Smith, a guard who came in averaging 5.2 points. "The first game (against Indiana), I was complaining about that to my team. This game, we capitalized on that, and we were able to get some easy buckets."

There was no way Indiana was going to allow All-American forward Jared Sullinger to have his way inside. Crean didn't apologize for leaving Smith all alone on the perimeter.

"Lenzelle is averaging four shots a game. Look it up," Crean said after talking to his team for more than a half-hour after the game. "He really played well. He played well at our place, but they've got a lot of good players. That's why they're as good as they are."

Smith, who missed practice Thursday and Friday with strep throat, made the most of almost every chance he had.

"That's kind of like a coach's dream when you see it going in there," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said of Smith's shooting. "Because you're making them pay for the adjustment they're making."

Sullinger added 16 points, William Buford 12 and Deshaun Thomas 11 for the Buckeyes (16-3, 4-2 Big Ten), who were coming off a loss at Illinois on Tuesday. Several players questioned their teammates' commitment and effort after that game.

There was no doubt about either on Sunday as Ohio State took command early and was never threatened.

Smith was the No. 1 reason. He made 10 of 12 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 3-pointers. He also had seven rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The Buckeyes had the game well in hand throughout the second half after finishing the first half on a 15-2 run to build a 35-14 advantage. The lead never dipped below 16 in the second half.

Cody Zeller scored 16 points, Christian Watford 13 and Jordan Hulls 11 for the Hoosiers (15-3, 3-3), who had lost at home to unranked Minnesota on Wednesday.

The game was Indiana's first against another top-10 team since 2002 and the Hoosiers' first visit to an opponent also ranked in single digits since 1992.