Ohio State finally got a road win in the Big Ten, and it’s a big one. Heck, at this point, any win is big when you’re mired in a slump of losing six of seven.
The Buckeyes got a slow start to the game but began to turn up the pressure in the first half and went into the break with a three-point lead. Unlike last time out at home against Minnesota though, Ohio State was able to play a full forty minutes and finish this one with a solid 71-59 win.
Who knows? Maybe this will act as a catalyst towards a turnaround on the season.
We always like to take stock in these sorts of things, and so as normal, here’s three things we learned after the victory.
Next … Andre Wesson kept Ohio State in the game early
Andre Wesson’s impact in the first half
Things didn’t start out so well. In fact, Northwestern jumped out to a 13-4 lead before Ohio State started to reel things back in. And without Andre Wesson, the hole may have been too big to climb out of. Especially on the road, and especially with Kaleb Wesson being neutralized to a large extent in the first twenty minutes.
Andre not only got some tough rebounds, but he made a three-pointer, made some shots going to the rim, and chipped in eleven points to pace OSU in the first half.
He has meant so much to this team and just continues to have winning plays and performances. He didn’t score any more points in the second half, but everyone else came to play at that point after he saved the team’s bacon.
Next … The flash of D.J. Carton
This is what D.J. Carton can be for this team
Still just a freshman, D.J. Carton has had some bumps in the road this year. We’ve seen flashes of that athleticism and talent at times, but once he figures it out on a nightly basis, this team will be a much more dangerous one.
With what teams are doing to limit what Kaleb Wesson by collapsing and bumping him around, there needs to be another explosive scoring option on the outside. Carton can be that guy once he believes who he is and what he can do. That seems to be growing, and if we see a more consistent freshman growing up, this team can still do some damage.
He went for seventeen points tonight, but more importantly, he took the fight to Northwestern, especially in winning time.
Next … Better intensity and purpose
This was more like it on the road
We forget that Ohio State is still a young team. There’s some guys with experience back for sure, but it’s still a team with a lot of parts that are new and trying to figure things out.
Part of that is learning what it takes to not only win in the Big Ten, but most especially win on the road in the conference. Perhaps no other league in the country has such hard venues and teams to play against away from home, and unless you been in the midst of it all, it’s hard to get a grip on.
This was a gutsy win tonight. Don’t let Northwestern’s record fool you. It has played a ton of very close games against really good teams — especially at home. Maybe Ohio State is starting to figure out the level of effort and toughness needed in this league.
Now, one game doesn’t make a trend, so let’s see how it goes from here.
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