SOUTHEAST REGIONAL : Ohio State Warms Up in Time

Jim Jackson can’t be judged by his statistics, good or bad. Not by his 23 points, or by his 11 rebounds or the nine consecutive shots he missed at the start of Saturday’s game.

“What people overlook is what he creates for others,” teammate Chris Jent said after third-ranked Ohio State overcame a 12-point deficit and beat Connecticut, 78-55, during the second round of the NCAA Southeast Regional.

The Buckeyes, outrebounded badly early in the game and unable to score from outside, were on the verge of being blown out when Jamaal Brown made a three-point basket with seven minutes to play in the first half.

That started a 15-2 run that gave the Buckeyes a 31-30 halftime lead.

Jackson, who had nine misses to that point, scored four of the last six points in the flurry, including two on a short jump shot that put Ohio State ahead for good with 28 seconds to play in the half.

Jackson wouldn’t make excuses for the early drought, which followed a three-for-13 performance during the Buckeyes’ first-round victory over Mississippi Valley State.

“When you have open shots and you can’t hit them, that’s self explanatory,” Jackson said. “My shots wouldn’t fall, but I knew my teammates wouldn’t let the game slip away.”

The Buckeyes (25-5) advanced to the round of 16 for the second consecutive season. They will play No. 18 North Carolina on Friday in Lexington, Ky.

Connecticut (20-10) dominated the first 13 minutes, buoyed by the return of center Rod Sellers from a one-game suspension. Sellers helped the Huskies with their offensive rebounding, and they repeatedly got tip-ins and easy follow baskets for a 28-16 lead with 7:20 to play in the half.

Then the roof caved in, in the form of a 15-6 run by Ohio State to begin the second half.

“What we said at halftime was to make them shoot over us,” Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said. “Except for Jackson and Jent, it seemed like no one wanted to shoot ‘threes.’ So in the second half, they came out and buried them and put us in a big hole.”

Connecticut made one last run, closing to within five points with 11:30 to go, but Jent made a 15-footer and a three-pointer, and Ohio State was not threatened again.