With their inconsistent play, the Ohio State men’s basketball team has been unable to win consistently.
The Buckeyes started the season with six straight wins, five against mid-major competition. Since then, they have gone 2-8 after winning a game. They have enjoyed just two winning streaks, each of which lasted just two games, and one of those sets of back-to-back victories included a win over Grambling (11-12).
Otherwise, the pattern is that Ohio State has followed wins with losses and losses with wins.
Ohio State is also 7-0 in the game after a loss this season, showcasing a team that’s been able to pick itself back up after taking a defeat, but not for long enough to build significant momentum. That resilience will be put to the test yet again. The Buckeyes are set to host USC on Feb. 11, coming on the heels of their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 21-point loss to No. 2 Michigan on Feb. 8.
“This pattern we’ve shown at times this season has spoken to our ability to respond, there’s no question,” coach Jake Diebler said. “… We’ve practiced with great consistency really most of the year. We’ve struggled to play at that same consistency throughout some games.”
It has all added up to a 15-8 record, a 7-6 mark in the Big Ten and a 10th-place tie in the standings alongside the Trojans. So, not only is this a critical time to start putting wins together, but looming for the Buckeyes after their showdown with the Trojans is a nonconference game against No. 15 Virginia in Nashville on Feb. 14.
“We just have to play at the level we’re capable of longer, especially against high-level teams,” Diebler said.
Arguably the most consistent thing about this year’s team has been Diebler’s praise of its work ethic. The issue hasn’t been poor preparation; it’s been carrying that over into games, particularly against ranked competition.
The two biggest struggles holding the Buckeyes back from consistently getting the results they want have been turnovers and rebounding, particularly on defense. Ohio State is sixth in the Big Ten in offensive rebounding rate but 16th in defensive rebounding rate as teams have earned second- and sometimes third- or fourth-chance opportunities.
“I think this team has an ability to carry over what we’ve gone over from a game plan standpoint and execute it well,” Diebler said. “The way we’ve prepped and game planned and taken teams out of actions or been able to attack some actions, I feel really good about. What we’ve seen for our team, turnovers have played a factor when we haven’t [handled in-game adversity] that well and not playing well enough on the glass has played a factor when we haven’t done that well.”
If Ohio State can turn the consistency they are demonstrating in workouts into more complete in-game execution, then opportunities to build an NCAA Tournament resume remain. Six of OSU’s remaining eight games in the regular season are against teams projected to be at-large selections. A little winning streak now could go a long way, and that’s something the Buckeyes have been preaching throughout this uneven run of results.
Beating USC would be a good start, and after the loss to Michigan, senior captain Bruce Thornton said as such.
“We need to win games,” Thornton said. “We need to do the little stuff. We need to communicate at a high level to make the run that we need and we are very capable. I don’t care what anybody else thinks.
“Tomorrow’s a new day. Sun’s going to rise. Just have to move on with attitude and a sense of urgency that we have to win the next one.”
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: As USC arrives, can Ohio State shake inconsistent results down stretch?
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
