The Ohio State basketball team looked like it was going to cruise to a win over Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, but the Badgers didn’t roll over easily.
They mounted a comeback bid that scared most Buckeye fans, but OSU pulled out the win 65-57.
Head coach Chris Holtmann has to be happy with his team’s effort and resilience, knowing that playing spoiler was at stake tonight. The Buckeyes didn’t let in when the Badgers made it a game and now Wisconsin will have to wait until Selection Sunday to find out its fate.
There was plenty to like and some not in tonight’s Buckeye win. Here are my thoughts on the game.
Survive and advance
Survive and Advance.#GoBucks | #B1GMBBT pic.twitter.com/n3CAZ9oBgo
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) March 9, 2023
Thoughts
This is March. It doesn’t matter how it happens, just win. The Buckeyes did that tonight, making it to day two of the conference tournament. Since they most likely won’t be playing in the NCAA’s, this is their shining moment. It got very dicey in the final moments but they found a way to win. That was fun to see but it left us wondering …
Where has this been the last 10 weeks?
Puttin' on a SHOW 🍿@Bruce2T_ x @ohiostatehoops pic.twitter.com/GkjTIak16y
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 9, 2023
Thoughts
This is the kind of effort that many of us thought we would see in 2023. As we know it’s been a massive struggle for this Buckeye team, but they came out free and loose in the first half. OSU gave the Badgers their largest halftime and overall deficit of the year. Yes, it didn’t last the whole game but spurts like that 25 minutes will win you a lot of games. This team really could have mailed in the last two weeks of the season, but it didn’t, and winning three of the last four is a good result to build on.
You can’t guard me
WHO ELSE?! 🔥
Sean McNeil NAILS IT 👏 @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/01e5fxPgY2
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 9, 2023
Thoughts
Sean McNeil’s first miss was an inbound play with 1.4 seconds on the shot clock, after making his first 6 shots. He’d miss his next two attempts but two huge free throws followed those misses as Wisconsin tried to mount the comeback. He finished with a team-high 17 points off the bench. Bruce Thornton played extremely well also, scoring 15 points, grabbing 4 rebounds with 2 assists. He added two steals as well, as the two guards led the way. Two of the three top-scoring leaders for the Buckeyes tonight came up big and would not be playing a game tomorrow had it not been for their contributions.
The refs were not good
Who touched this last? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0QOMIUFOnr
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 9, 2023
Thoughts
This is a general complaint, the referees were bad on both ends. They missed calls, made plenty of questionable ones, and neither team could get into a rhythm. You would expect that the conference would bring their best but that wasn’t the case. The call with under a minute remaining was terrible. The ref called Badger ball but immediately went to the monitor and upheld the call even when it looked like Ohio State’s ball. This is a microcosm of the whole conference schedule and it has to get better. When the Big Ten announces its new commissioner, I hope this issue is addressed.
Brice Sensabaugh was non-existent late
DRAINED IT 💧@bricepsensa brings @OhioStateHoops lead to 23! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ErZZlc6vOe
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 9, 2023
Thoughts
The freshman has shown why he is viewed as a potential first-round NBA Draft pick, but games like tonight keep thoughts about why he might be better off spending another year in Columbus dancing in our heads. Sensabaugh scored his last points with just about 15 minutes remaining in the game. That’s not what you would normally see out of a player expected to be selected that high. This isn’t a knock on his talent level at all, it’s more about his long-term success by leaving a much more polished player.
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