COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Deshaun Thomas scored 13 of his 19 points in a 17-2 run to end the half, leading No. 4 Ohio State to an 82-60 victory over Albany on Sunday in the Buckeyes' belated season opener.
They were supposed to play on Friday night against Marquette in Charleston, S.C., aboard the USS Yorktown but condensation on the court led to that game being canceled.
Thomas, one of the stars of the Buckeyes' Final Four run last season, hit just one of his first six shots and Ohio State trailed 23-22 late in half. But he asserted himself as the Buckeyes took control.
Aaron Craft had a career-high 20 points to lead the Buckeyes with Lenzelle Smith Jr. adding 18 and LaQuinton Ross 10.
Mike Black had 20 and Jacob Iati 13 for Albany (1-1).
Craft, considered an outside-shooting liability a year ago, hit 5 of 7 3-pointers to go with seven assists. His previous highest scoring total was 19.
Smith was 8 of 11 from the field, making both 3s he attempted.
The Buckeyes shot 57 percent from the field (32 of 56) and made 12 of 20 shots behind the arc.
Smith gave Ohio State a 39-25 lead at the halftime buzzer by swishing a 3-pointer from the right wing off an assist pass from Craft.
Over the last 4:46 of the half during the Ohio State run, the Buckeyes hit 6 of 8 shots from the field to Albany's 0 for 4, didn't have a turnover and outrebounded the Great Danes 6-2.
Ohio State then opened the second half by scoring eight of the first 10 points to open up a 20-point lead.
Craft and Ross hit 3s to make it 55-33. The lead hovered around 20 the rest of the game.
Sophomore forward Sam Thompson and center Evan Ravenel - the Buckeyes' only senior - started. In Ohio State's only public scrimmage against Walsh, offensive whiz Ross had gotten the starting nod along with 6-foot-11 fellow sophomore Amir Williams. Both saw substantial playing time off the bench.
The Buckeyes wore the same camouflage gray uniforms with scarlet letters they were supposed to wear on the warship.
Villanova 80, Marshall 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - Villanova freshman Ryan Arcidiacono scored 20 of his game-high 25 points in the first half to lead the Wildcats to an 80-68 victory over Marshall in the second round of the 2K Sports Classic on Sunday.
James Bell added 19 points and Darrun Hilliard contributed 15 for Villanova (2-0). Arcidiacono also had six assists.
D.D. Scarver led four Thundering Herd players in double figures with 22 points.
Marshall got as close as two points twice in the second half, the last coming with exactly four minutes remaining when Chris Martin nailed a 3-pointer to make it 70-68. But Bell hit a 3-pointer, Hilliard drained two free throws, and Arcidiacono hit one on a 6-0 Wildcats run that gave Villanova the cushion it needed, 76-68 with 55 seconds left. The Herd didn't score in the last four minutes.
Arcidiacono ended 6-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.
