Marcus Carr scored a career-high 35 points and Daniel Oturu had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota toppled undefeated and third-ranked Ohio State 84-71 on Sunday night for coach Richard Pitino’s first win against a top-five team.
Oturu outworked Kaleb Wesson in the paint to win the battle of two of the Big Ten’s best big men with his sixth double-double of the season for the Gophers (5-5, 1-1). Prior to this game, the highest-ranked opponent they’d beaten in seven years under Pitino was No. 6 Maryland on Feb. 18, 2016.
Freshmen D.J. Carton (19 points) and E.J. Liddell (14 points) had season highs off the bench for the Buckeyes (9-1, 1-1), and Wesson had 12 points and six rebounds with his playing time limited by foul trouble.
Ohio State outscored its last two opponents 105-61 in the second half, but there was no surge against Minnesota. Wesson picked up his fourth foul at the top of the key for an illegal screen, lowering a shoulder into Gabe Kalscheur with 13:47 to go. Then Carr swished a 3-pointer for a 53-37 lead.
The Buckeyes came as close as nine points down the stretch with less than four minutes left, but Carr answered with a three-point play after a drive in traffic drew a foul on Andre Wesson to push the lead back to 72-60.
Minnesota caught a big break with the absence of Ohio State’s second-leading scorer and best 3-point shooter Duane Washington Jr., who didn’t dress for the game because of a rib injury. Washington went 8 for 14 from 3-point range over the previous two games.
OSU wound up shooting 38% from the field.