Brief Thoughts on Men's Basketball

Going into this past Sunday’s game against Michigan State, a lot of Ohio State fans seemed to have come to terms with the idea that this was not a team that was going very deep into the tournament. They had been failing a lot of their tests against big teams, they just escaped with a win against Northwestern, and in general they never seemed like a cohesive basketball teams. Jared Sullinger was not producing consistently, and the jump shots just were not going in. The Buckeyes were a mess, and for much of the early going against the Spartans these fears seemed like they were going to be confirmed. This was a sweet sixteen team at best, with a very real chance of getting knocked out in the second round by a hot opponent. The promise seen against such teams as Duke early in the season seemed to have drifted away.

Then something surprising happened.

The Buckeyes started to hit their shots. Their defense, as it has much of this season, was hitting on all cylinders. Even with Jared Sullinger in foul trouble, the rest of the team started to step up. Specifically, the team’s lone senior William Buford was getting points. For too long, he had been inconsistent, but in the second half against Michigan State he was anything but inconsistent. On Sunday, this was a team that made a statement to the Big Ten, themselves, and Ohio State fans. It reminded us just how much potential they have. While it’s just one game, this was a great comeback that can give this team a sense of confidence that they haven’t had since they blew out Duke early in the season. It doesn’t absolve them of all their sins, but it’s a step in the right direction. And it comes not a moment too soon.

It will be very interesting to see how this team fares in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. This will give Buckeye fans a clearer indication of what they can expect when the real tournament starts next week. From now on, they will not be going into hostile road environments like Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc. However, they also won’t be playing in the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center. This will be a great indicator of how the Buckeyes can perform at a neutral site against competitive Big Ten teams. Much like the NCAA Tournament, nothing about this is going to be easy. Their first game will likely be against Purdue, who gave them a real battle in Columbus not long ago.

However, this is a team that seems to be in a better mental place than they have been in the last couple weeks. This Michigan State win—and William Buford’s incredible final shot—may be just the fuel they need. This is anything but an untested team. They’ve lost several tough games and they know that every game from here on out is huge. The margin for error is completely gone, and the good news is the Buckeyes seem to recognize this. In a conference full of mentally tough teams, Ohio State now has a chance to prove they are the toughest of them all.