The Big Ten struck again.
Ohio State came out of the gate on fire Wednesday night and put Penn State on its heels, going up by as much as eleven points in the first half. Somewhere along the way towards the end of the second half though, the Nittany Lions’ mindset changed, the energy and purpose increased, and things started to turn.
The Buckeyes could never quite solve the on-ball pressure Penn State showed, and it resulted in an 83-79 narrow escape on the heels of a huge win on the road against a top ten Wisconsin team. A win is a win, is a win, but it was a battle tonight.
Still, this is arguably the deepest and most talented conference in the country, and if you don’t come to play, any team in the league can make you pay. That almost happened Wednesday night and you can bet head coach Chris Holtmann would rather teach lessons in victory rather than after a defeat.
As we do after every game, here are three takeaways we observed from all the action.
NEXT … Strength in the face of adversity
Ohio State has to be stronger against ball pressure
Yeah, the Buckeyes won, but this was felt like one OSU got away with. Sometimes games unfold and it’s hard to get the momentum and energy back. Penn State dialed up the on-ball pressure and it really affected the execution of the OSU offense. The team held onto the ball too long, played on its heels, and didn’t take the fight to an aggressive defense.
There’s going to be more of that in the future, and Ohio State has to figure out a way to recognize what’s going on and use an aggressive defense against the opposition by taking the ball to the hole. Instead, the Buckeyes tried to absorb blows instead of punch back. It’s easier said than done, but the mindset needs to change in those situations. But, with a big caveat, good response to pull this thing out at the end.
NEXT … Penn State plays hard
Give credit to Penn State
Look, you have to give credit where credit is due. Not too many teams bring the physical fight to Ohio State. I have to admit, I haven’t watched a ton of the Nittany Lions up until now, but they sure played the game the right way tonight. The effort was outstanding on both ends.
Every guy on the court for the Nittany Lions closed out hard, dove on the floor for loose balls, crashed the boards, and put extreme pressure on the ball and in denial. It resulted in a slew of turnovers and mistakes by Ohio State. That’s going to be a tough team to play against for teams down the road if that effort continues.
NEXT … The love and hate of Duane Washington
The Duane Washington mystery
Twitter was ablaze tonight with scathing comments about guard Duane Washington, and rightfully so. His shot selection was poor tonight, he turned the ball over, and social media wasn’t loving the effort.
But … then he hit a big three towards the end of the game. A three-ball that turned the momentum around when it looked like Penn State was on its way to outworking Ohio state for the win. Still, his game was far from a clinic on how to play basketball tonight.
When Washington is going well, he’s a tough guy to stop, when it’s not, well, it sure makes all of Buckeye Nation come out with vitriol.
