This was not a good time to play Ohio State. The sixth-ranked Buckeyes re-energized after their previous game, a loss at home that prompted star Jared Sullinger to describe their on-court look as a bunch of "spoiled brats." Well, they blew off some steam Tuesday at Minnesota. William Buford scored 24 points, Sullinger backed him up inside with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Ohio State beat Minnesota 78-68 to move a half-game ahead in the Big Ten standings of Michigan State, the team that had humbled the Buckeyes three days before. "We played harder today than we did Saturday, for sure. We need to keep up this effort," Buford said. Buford also had eight rebounds and five assists for the Buckeyes (22-4, 10-3), who lost 58-48 to the Spartans when Buford had only four points on 2-for-12 shooting. With Sullinger drawing double- and triple-teams down low, Buford hit the kick-out jump shots on the wing. He scored his team's first seven points. Read more: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320450135
