It’s going to be hard to win games in March if you can’t find a way to close them out. Ohio State played through some sloppy play to take control of the game against Illinois with under four minutes left. From there, the Illini made more plays down the stretch and came out with a 73-68 win. It made more plays because Ohio State failed to make any. It finished the last 3:48 of the game without a single point, and that did the Buckeyes in.
With the loss, OSU is locked in as the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a chance at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is likely out the window. There’s still a real possibility for a No. 2 seed, but that’s for another day.
With the win, Illinois has now won eleven of its last twelve games and will finish No. 2 in the Big Ten as it heads to Indy. For Ohio State, it’s another “what if” scenario with few answers here as of late.
Here are three things we took away from this game.
NEXT … Closing games out
Ohio State has a real problem closing games out
Ohio State's last ten shot attempts in today's loss against Illinois: pic.twitter.com/5OkKZNw93e
— Lori Schmidt (@LoriSchmidt) March 6, 2021
Look, there’s no way around it at this point. Ohio State has shown a tangible trend of crumbling at the end of games. It’s as if the team doesn’t know what it’s supposed to do with the lead and the clock ticking down. The shot selection is often too quick and of poor variety.
Defensively, the team looks like a dear in headlights at the end of games as well. When the intensity should be ratcheted up, it’s almost as if OSU is just hoping for missed shots from the opposition. This team is going in the wrong direction, and at this point, you are what you are.
NEXT … Duane Washington has to be better
Duane Washington has to be smarter in closing time
Ohio State missed its final 10 shots from the floor, five of them by Duane Washington Jr. https://t.co/CIJFdl31OU
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) March 6, 2021
Look, I know Chris Holtmann has sung praises of Duane Washington and defended him several times this year, but one of the main reasons Ohio State hasn’t been able to finish games is his decision-making and shot-selection coming down the wire.
OSU missed its last ten shots, and five of them were from Washington’s hands. But it wasn’t just that they were off the mark, there were some very, very questionable shots at a time when the game mattered most. Ohio State needs one of its best players to be there at the end of games, and he’s just not shown the mindset and ability at end of game situations that this team needs.
The Buckeyes are going to go as far as Washington’s complimentary game to Liddell goes, and right now, it’s not good at winning time.
NEXT … Time to pull up the bootstraps
There is still a lot of season to go
If you told me before the season that Ohio State would be LIVID to get a 2-seed in March Madness… well I’d probably take that. 🤷🏻♂️
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) March 6, 2021
By a lot of season, I mean the postseason. It was always going to be hard anyway to catch Michigan, now the new season can act as a much-needed reset for Ohio State. From here on out, it’ll be playing tournament basketball for a championship. The Big Ten Tournament starts next week, then it’s off to the Big Dance.
For all that’s gone wrong over the last four games, this team still has the ability to be a tough out in a one-and-done format for any team out there. There are clearly some things to clean up, but there isn’t any time for feeling sorry for yourself. It’s time to get up off the deck and finish this thing or what looked like such a promising season will be just a footnote.
