It’s time to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
The Ohio State basketball team has been on the fringe of the Big Ten title hunt for weeks now but has yet to really make a move. The Buckeyes have played a ton of close games and with a bounce here or there, or a little more smarts and effort at times, could easily be in first place in the league.
Instead, OSU sits just on the outside looking in, but close enough for their prospects of wrestling away a Big Ten championship to go either way. Go on a run starting today and Ohio State can put itself in a good position with plenty of home games to go. Lose a couple, and kiss any shot of raising a banner goodbye.
But it all starts with the game against Indiana, a team that had exposed a huge mismatch with Trayce Jackson-Davis the first time around in Bloomington. The Buckeyes have to solve the riddle on the blocks and play more inspired than what we saw against Iowa Saturday to have the best shot to win in this one.