Another game in the Big Ten, another loss for Ohio State. In a contest the Buckeyes desperately needed, they couldn’t finish the deal and lost on the road to Indiana 66-54.
The Hoosiers used a spurt at the beginning of both halves to gain separation. OSU was able to claw all the way back in the first twenty minutes, but couldn’t do it in the last twenty because of some poor shooting.
It was a little better showing than the last couple of games, but a loss is still a loss, and now you have to wonder how a team with so much promise will find a way to get back to its winning ways. The team now drops to 11-5 overall, and a very surprising 1-4 in the Big Ten.
As usual, here are three things we learned.
Next … Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
Ohio State will only go as far as ball security takes it
We keep harping on it, but it’s probably the most important thing this Ohio State needs to somehow correct. Turnovers are absolutely plaguing this team, and until it finds a way to slow down giving away extra possessions, we’re going to see more and more struggles on the offensive end.
The Buckeyes once again lost the turnover battle with sixteen more today. Sixteen. That is far too many to expect to win a Big Ten basketball game — especially on the road in a historically difficult place to play.
It’s everyone too. The guards, forwards, you name it. There’s just way too many careless judgments in decision with the ball. If this is what we’re going to see going forward, and is just what this team is, you can throw away expectations of a deep run in March.
Next … More aggressive and assertive play
We at least saw Ohio State be more aggressive and assertive
It’s still too many, but you can at least live with some of the turnovers if it’s at the expense of trying to be aggressive and assertive at the right moment. We saw a little more of that today. Rather than Ohio State sitting back and letting teams come after it, there was more pushing of the action and playing with purpose.
That went away a little in the second half, but there was a bit more of that confidence and killer instinct we saw earlier in the year when the Buckeyes came back in the first half. In the end, it was still a stinging loss, but there are some good signs with what looked like a little better mindset.
Next … Youn can’t win if you can’t shoot
What has happened to the ability to shoot?
You can play great defense, take care of the basketball and play an all-around smart floor game. None of it matters if the ball doesn’t go through the hoop. At the end of the day, it’s about maximizing possessions, then knocking shots down.
Ohio State shot the ball well in the first half, but then things went south in the back-end. For the game, the Buckeyes shot just 32.7 percent Indiana’s 40.8 percent. OSU had three more shots in this one, but couldn’t take advantage because of poor shooting. Some of it is shot selection because you’re always going to make a higher percentage of good looks, but sometimes it’s just nailing the open ones you get.
Both the decision to pull the trigger, and the ability to see the ball go through the bucket have to get better.
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