The smile had faded from Amare Bynum’s face in the first half against TCU.
The freshman forward, known for showing his pearly whites even in the midst of a physical basketball game, was facing a 15-point deficit when he and his team went to the locker room at the half.
But the Buckeyes came back in the second half and were even able to take a five-point lead at one point, largely thanks to the contributions of Bynum.
Along with grabbing boards and sending shots back, as Bynum is accustomed to do, the freshman was leading the scoring run and also coming up with takeaways when it mattered most.
As Ohio State was going on its run in the second half to take a 55-50 lead with 6:19 left in the game, Bynum gathered four points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
“I was just saying to put it all on the floor for all the seniors and for the team,” he said. “I was just trying to make winning plays and put it all on the floor.”
After that, Mobley had what was likely the play of the game, at least according to the noise level of the crowd that made its way to Greenville, S.C., for the game.
After TCU knocked down two free throws to make it 55-53, Bynum received a pass near the top of the key, spun to his right, took one dribble and threw down a one-handed slam over a Horned Frog defender and was fouled.
His teammates raised from the bench to celebrate as Bynum made his way over to his teammates for some well deserved high-fives.
Sophomore guard John Mobley Jr., who also had a part in the OSU comeback, was impressed, but not surprised, with what he saw from Bynum.
“You don’t see too many freshmen do what he’s doing at a high level. He just puts his all out there every night, and he’s always got a big smile while he’s doing it,” Mobley said as the smile crept back onto Bynum’s face. “Having the joy that he has and the fight and that aggressiveness, it’s hard to teach.”
Bynum finished the game with 12 points and a team-leading nine rebounds, adding two blocks to his stat sheet.
But Mobley, the leading scorer in the game for OSU with 15 points, made his mark on the second-half run as well, giving the Buckeyes a chance.
He started the half with a layup and made back-to-back threes to give his team some life. He was disappointed with his first-half performance and wanted to give a better effort in the second frame.
“I just thought that I’m not going home like that. I’m not going home without putting my all to it.” Mobley said. “I had a talk at halftime that I just had to do better. I was a little sluggish in the first half, and I can’t do that. That put us in the drought in the first place. In the second half, I had to do everything I can to bring the team back and give us a better chance of winning.”
While it wasn’t enough for Ohio State, it was a solid sign for the future of the two underclassmen, who will be major pieces for the Buckeyes next season if Diebler is able to retain them both.
