The game lived up to the billing, but Ohio State made a few too many mistakes at the end of the game against Michigan to pull out the victory, losing 92-87.
It was an entertaining, up-and-down offensive display, with both teams trading blows all game long. It’s a shame the Buckeyes lost a game they played so well in, but with it being a forty-minute game, every minute and every second mattered, especially with teams this closely matched.
As we do every contest, we like to take stock in what happened on the court and we’re doing the same here. Here are three takeaways from Ohio State’s loss to Michigan on Sunday.
NEXT … Ohio State did a poor job of closing this one out
The Buckeyes finished this game extremely poorly
Look, you have to give Michigan some credit for the way things finished in this game, but there’s some blame to go around for Ohio State for sure. Turnovers, not boxing out, and a lack of offensive continuity at the end of this game made all the difference between winning and losing.
The game was a nip and tuck affair, and there’s a fine line between winning and losing in this league. There was about a four or five-minute stretch late in the game where OSU got disjointed and weak with the basketball and Michigan took advantage.
I’m sure Ohio State is kicking itself for the way things got away at the end, and now hopefully the Buckeyes can learn from it.
NEXT … Both teams are Final Four good
Heads up Buckeye fans. Ohio State is still good enough for a deep March run
Yeah, this loss stings, especially seeing how it’s clear the Buckeyes can matchup with the Wolverines. But don’t fret yet because there’s still plenty of season left. There is of course the Big Ten Tournament to look forward to, but beyond that, this team has the depth and talent to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
You never want to settle for a consolation prize when it comes to anything Ohio State vs. Michigan, but both teams showed us all enough today to think that they are both going to be a problem once the calendar turns to March.
NEXT … The Big Ten regular-season title is likely dead for Ohio State
The Buckeyes are cooked in the race for the Big Ten regular-season title
You can likely kiss chances at a Big Ten regular-season title gone for Ohio State. A win would have been huge towards that goal, but even with that, the Wolverines would have had to lose one more with the Buckeyes needing to win out amidst the likes of Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan State.
Michigan is now in the driver’s seat with the Illini right behind. The Buckeyes will have to now take solace in the fact that they are an improving bunch and have plenty more still to play for. There have been plenty of teams in the history of college basketball do some pretty special things in March after failing to win a regular-season conference tournament. That’s where the sights have to be set now.
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