Basketball is usually a game of runs, but sometimes it’s just a slow-motion car crash. When you look at the final score of the Evansville vs Ohio State game from November 19, 2024, the numbers almost look like a typo. 80-30. Let that sink in for a second. In an era where teams regularly push for 100 points, the Evansville Purple Aces were held to fewer points than some teams score in a single ten-minute stretch.
It was weird. Honestly, it was one of the most suffocating defensive displays I've seen in the Schottenstein Center in years.
You’ve got to feel a bit for David Ragland’s squad. They actually started the game with some life. Michael Day hit a triple early on to give Evansville a 5-2 lead. For about ten minutes, it looked like we might have a competitive mid-major versus Power Four battle on our hands. The score was knotted at 12-12 with seven minutes left in the first half. Then, the lights basically went out for the Aces.
The Scoring Drought That Wouldn't End
If you're an Evansville fan, the box score from this Evansville vs Ohio State matchup is probably something you'd rather set on fire. The Aces went scoreless for the final five minutes and change of the first half. That’s bad, but the second half was a different level of "rough."
They missed 13 straight shots spanning across halftime.
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By the time the dust settled, Evansville had shot 19% from the floor. 19 percent! That is the kind of stat that makes a coach want to go live in a cave. They were 2-of-27 from the three-point line. You could have pulled five people out of the stands for a halftime contest and they might have accidentally stumbled into a higher shooting percentage.
Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes weren't even playing some revolutionary new defensive scheme; they were just bigger, faster, and frankly, they looked annoyed that they had lost to Texas A&M a few days prior. They took it out on Evansville.
Devin Royal and the Ohio State Dominance
While Evansville was throwing bricks, Devin Royal was having the game of his life. He finished with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double. He was aggressive, constantly hunting for the paint and living at the free-throw line. It’s funny because Ohio State didn’t even shoot particularly well in the first half—they were hovering around 29% themselves—but they completely flipped the script in the second half, hitting 70% of their shots.
It was a total landslide.
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- Meechie Johnson Jr. chipped in 13 points.
- John Mobley Jr. looked smooth with 11.
- Sean Stewart was a monster on the glass with 9 rebounds in just 11 minutes before he had a scary fall.
The depth was just too much. Even freshman Colin White got in on the action, scoring his first collegiate points late in the game. When the bench guys are hitting triples and the lead is ballooning to 50, you know it’s just one of those nights where one team has "it" and the other doesn't even have a map.
Why This Evansville vs Ohio State Game Actually Mattered
Most people see a 50-point blowout and assume it’s a "buy game" fluke. But for Ohio State, this was a statement. Coming off that loss to Texas A&M, there were questions about their interior toughness. Holding a Division I opponent to 30 points—the fewest the Buckeyes have allowed since 2008—is a loud way to answer those questions.
For Evansville, it was a historical low. You have to go back to 1963, before the shot clock even existed, to find a game where they scored less. They finished the game with only three assists. Three. That tells you everything you need to know about how stagnant the offense was.
What We Learned (And What to Watch For)
If you're betting on or following these teams, there are a few takeaways that aren't just "Evansville had a bad night."
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First, the Buckeyes' defensive ceiling is elite when they stay disciplined. They outrebounded Evansville 48-28. That's a massive physical gap. Second, Devin Royal is transitioning from a "spark plug" to a genuine focal point of the offense. If he keeps playing with that level of physicality, Ohio State is going to be a problem in the Big Ten.
As for the Purple Aces, they actually bounced back later in the season, proving this was more of a statistical outlier than a total collapse of the program. They beat Green Bay 98-81 in their very next game. Talk about a 180-degree turn.
Actionable Insights for the Season Ahead:
- Watch the Line: When Ohio State is favored by 20+, don't automatically assume a cover, but look at their defensive efficiency metrics. They tend to play down to the shot clock even in blowouts.
- Royal's Prop Bets: Keep an eye on Devin Royal's rebounding totals. His nose for the ball is becoming a consistent trend, not a one-off.
- Evansville's Perimeter Game: If the Aces are missing their first five triples, they tend to spiral. They rely heavily on rhythm, and when it's broken, it stays broken for long stretches.
The reality of the Evansville vs Ohio State saga is that it served as a brutal reminder of the gap between the high-major elites and the mid-major grinders when the "on" switch is flipped. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't close, but it was certainly a game that the record books won't forget anytime soon.