We are in a pause when it comes to the Ohio State football journey towards back-to-back College Football Playoff national championships, but in the meantime, the Ohio State basketball team is still traversing its schedule.
And what a game we witnessed. The Buckeyes looked uninspired and uninterested in the first half but came out in the second half, reeled things in, and won in two overtimes by a thrilling 89-88 score.
We were there with live updates, and in case you missed any of what transpired, you can go through the game flow here and get caught up on an absolute thriller. We’ll also have some postgame stuff to wrap this one up.
Ohio State vs. West Virginia postgame coverage
Three takeaways from Ohio State basketball vs. West Virginia
Ohio State vs. West Virginia picture gallery
Ohio State wins!
What a comeback. The Buckeyes intercept the last pass down the court, and time runs out. OSU wins 89-88 in an absolute thriller. As bad as the first half was, the second half showed hope for this season yet.
Thornton hits the deuce for the lead
He gets to the lane, plays through contact, and hits the shot in the lane. Ohio State is up 89-88 with 3.6 seconds left.
The Mountaineers hit a deep two and take the lead
Back and forth we go, and WVU goes up 88-87 with 12.1 seconds left for Ohio State to have one last possession.
Thornton puts the Buckeyes back up by one point
He gets fouled and hits two free throws. The score is 86-87 with 24 seconds left.
The Mountaineers nail a 3-pointer
Here we go again. WVU hits a 3-pointer and goes up by one point with 33 seconds left. Ohio State possession upcoming.
Thornton puts Ohio State up by two points
There’s under a minute left, and Bruce Thornton knocks one down from the lane to give the Buckeyes an 85-83 lead. West Virginia calls a timeout and will have possession. There is 51.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Devin Royal fouls out
He did a great job playing with four fouls for a long stretch, but he commits a foul on a dribble drive and will exit the game with the game still tied. Free throws are upcoming for WVU. Ohio State is now down by two points after the free throws fall.
We are headed to a second overtime
Bruce Thornton plays good defense and makes the last-second layup a hard, contested one. We’ll head to another five-minute overtime with the score tied at 77.
Tie game with 15.4 seconds left
West Virginia has the ball after Devin Royal makes one-of-two free throws to tie the game up.
Ohio State down by one with possession
It feels like a repeat of what we had to end regulation, except the Buckeyes are down one point. They have possession and will take it down with about three seconds between the shot clock and game clock, down 77-76 with 27 seconds in OT left.
Thornton puts OSU up by one point
He’s fouled and hits two free throws. The score is 72-71 with 3:05 left in the game.
We are headed to OT
What a sequence. Mobley misses a 3-pointer, the Mountaineers come down and commit an offensive foul, and Thornton then misses a desperation long ball from halfcourt that almost goes in. It’s 68-68 as we head to the five-minute overtime.
We have a tie game
Mobley somehow gets a desperate rainbow three-pointer, and then West Virginia answers with a layup. The score is tied 68-68 with 24 seconds left. OSU has possession and can run it down to about six seconds.
The lead is just one for the Mountaineers
John Mobley Jr gets fouled going to the hoop, converts both free throws, and the score is 66-65, West Virginia, with 1:48 remaining.
We have a game at the under-four timeout
Ohio State is down by just four points (63-59) with 3:30 left in the game and will have the ball after a WVU traveling call when we come back.
Jake Diebler gets T’d up
Unhappy about a clear no-call on a Bruce Thornton 3-point attempt, the referees give Dielber a technical foul. We’ll see how OSU responds. Buckeyes are now down six.
The lead is just three for WVU at the under-eight timeout
OSU is on a massive run. The energy level has gone way up on both ends of the floor, and you have to give Amare Bynum credit. West Virginia will, however, have two free throws when we come back to the action with 7:27 left in the contest.
Ohio State is within five points
The pace is picking up, and a goaltend plus a foul on Christoph Tilly cuts the lead to 55-50 for the Mountaineers. West Virginia is challenging the goaltend call. We’ve got 9:17 still left in the game. UPDATE: Goaltending call stands.
Bynum throws it down
We may be seeing a star in the making. He throws down a one-hander, and the Buckeyes are slowly reeling things in. West Virginia still leads by nine with 9:24 left.
Buckeyes cut the lead to ten
It’s a start. Ohio State looks like it has more energy and has cut the lead to 51-41 with 11:49 left in the game.
Ohio State is now down by 16
It’s hard to see anything positive coming out of this at this point. I hate to sound like a pessimist, but there’s not much good to say at this juncture in the game. Ohio State trails 51-35 after the Mountaineers go on a run. There is 14:00 left in the game. Where’s the pride?
Bynum adding some energy to the lineup
I posted it on X, and I think it’s time. Amare Bynum needs more playing time and likely needs to be inserted as a freshman at this point. He adds more quickness and athleticism, and he brings a higher level of energy that can be contagious. He comes out in the starting five for the second half, and OSU looks a little better initially. OSU still trails by ten, 43-33, with 15:53 left in the game.
What an uninspiring half of basketball for Ohio State
This Ohio State team is headed in the wrong direction, and if it can’t come out and find something in the second half, there’s no reason to believe this team is going to do much this year. The offense is standing around, the shot selection is bad, the defense doesn’t know how to rotate and help, and there’s much more I could say. Very frustrating, and it’s time the basketball program is held to a different standard than what it has been. Maybe the Buckeyes come out and surprise me in the second half, but there’s no reason to believe that at this point. We should be seeing signs of improvement with this team, and it’s just not happening. Anyway, the Buckeyes lose the shooter and allow a three-pointer to go down just before the half, then lose track of the clock and don’t get the ball in-bounds in time, then throw up a shot after the buzzer. West Virginia leads 37-27, and I could go on with a rant, but I’ll stop there.
Ohio State trails at the under-four-minute timeout
The Buckeyes are searching for answers in a first half that has shown poor shooting and a lack of cohesiveness and desire. The score is 28-21, West Virginia.
Ohio State is not playing winning basketball
If you are watching this game, it has to be frustrating. The Mountaineers are on an 11-0 run, and the Buckeyes don’t look like the more aggressive team. It’s 28-19 West Virginia with 4:29 left in the first 20 minutes.
We’ve hit the under eight time out
The score is tied 19-19, and it sure feels like the Buckeyes have missed out on some opportunities. There is 7:47 left in the first. I think it’s time for the experiment of Christoph Tilly trying to hit three-pointers to be over. He’s shooting just 13.8% from beyond the arc and looks totally out of place throwing shots up from out there.
Taison Chatman with the And 1
Chatman makes a nice cut, and Brandon Noel finds him in the lane where he lays it in, gets fouled, and converts the free throw for a three-point play. The Buckeyes lead 19-17 with 9:08 to go in the half.
Bynum with the flush
It’s a nice pass by Christoph Tilly on a back-cut by Amare Bynum, and he throws it down and hangs on the rim for a bit. OSU leads 16-14 as we head to the under-12-minute media timeout. There’s still 10:27 left until halftime.
Bang! Mobley Jr is heating up
The long-range marksman hits another bomb, and that’s a good sign for the Buckeyes. They need Mobley to start gaining confidence from deep. The score is tied 14-14 with 11:00 minutes left in the half.
Thornton hits a runner
Bruce Thornton has a nice off-the-ball cut and tear drop in the lane, and Ohio State is starting to find its rhythm on both sides of the floor and now leads 11-8 with 13:22 left in the first half.
Ohio State trails early on in a slow-paced game so far
We have a slower pace, sloppy play, and some missed shots so far, and the Buckeyes trail 8-5 at the first media timeout (15:11 left in the first half).
John Mobley Jr gets Ohio State’s first points
He hits from deep and ties the game up at three points each with 16:33 left in the first half.
West Virginia wins the tip
The Mountaineers win the tip, and here we go.
The starting five for Ohio State
Ohio State’s uniform for tonight
Get a look at the Buckeye threads tonight.
Stream Ohio State basketball vs. West Virginia
What channel is Ohio State vs. West Virginia on today?
Ohio State-West Virginia will be televised nationally on ESPNU. John Schriffen (play-by-play) and King McClure (analyst) will call the action from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which may offer a free trial to new subscribers.
Ohio State vs. West Virginia game time today
The Ohio State-West Virginia game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Stream Ohio State basketball vs. West Virginia
Ohio State vs. West Virginia, picks, odds
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State basketball vs West Virginia instant reaction and highlights
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
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