Ohio State had seen the signs of progress on the floor the last couple games yet despite the improvement, they weren’t able to come away with wins. Stretches of bad basketball continue to doom this basketball team and they did them in once again. The Buckeyes built a lead as large as 18 early in the second half before seeing it completely evaporate in the closing minutesto fall to hapless Indiana 76-73, increasing Ohio State’s losing streak to 5 in a row, dropping the Buckeyes to 13-10, 3-9. The Hoosiers won for only the 2nd time in 6 tries to improve to 14-9, 6-6 on the season.  Roddy Gayle and Jamison Battle led Ohio State with 19 each and Bruce Thornton added 11. Indiana was led by Malik Renau’s 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Trey Galloway scored 25. 

Indiana struck first just seconds into the game, winning the tip and almost immediately lobbing to the rim for an alley oop. The Buckeyes answered right back as Bruce Thornton took an iso dribble on the left wing and pulled up from 10 for two. IU split a pair of free throws to regain their early lead, but Ohio State grabbed their first lead when Roddy Gayle grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast, scoring with a floater in the paint. Thornton rattled in a free throw line jumper to extend the lead, but Indiana tied the game with a triple in transition and at the first media timeout, the game was tied at 6. Out of the timeout, a pair of free throws enabled the Hoosiers to go back in front, but on the other end, Gayle fed a cutting Evan Mahaffey who scored off the glass as he was fouled. Mahaffey knocked down the freebie to complete the old-fashioned three point play and put Ohio State back in front. Indiana shifted back ahead with a jumper, but that lead was short lived as quickly the other way Gayle scored off the glass with a scoop. Ohio State extended the lead when Zed Key scored with a jump hook mid paint, but Indiana split a pair of free throws on successive trips to tie the game at 13 at the under 12 media timeout. The Buckeyes shifted back in front when Gayle drilled a triple from the top of the key but back the other way, Indiana scored with a high arcing runner over Felix Okpara. The Buckeyes answered when Gayle drove the left baseline and scored at the rim. After a Mahaffey steal at midcourt, Okpara was fouled in transition and he dropped in a pair of free throws to extend the Buckeye lead. Indiana turned it back over to Ohio State and the Buckeyes took advantage as Mahaffey got deep in the paint and scored. On the other end, the Buckeye D forced a missed shot and rushed up floor where Mahaffey caught the ball in the paint and kicked to Thornton in the left corner where he buried a three forcing Indiana to take a timeout as the Buckeyes were on a 9-0 run and leading 25-15 with 8:12 remaining in the first half. A foul called on Zed Key where he took an elbow to the face was reviewed and it was determined that a flagrant 1 foul would be called on Indiana. The Hoosiers, first went to the stripe and split the pair of free throws to end the Buckeye run. The flagrant free throw attempts put Jamison Battle on the line for Ohio State and he stroked both down the cords to extend the Buckeye lead. Ohio State added to the lead when in transition, Dale Bonner found a cutting Battle who sliced through the lane for two. Four straight Indiana points stemmed the tide briefly before Battle again, knifed through the paint off the bounce and scored off the glass. The Buckeyes increased to 13 when Mahaffey picked up a steal just beyond mid court and went the other way for a lay in. The Hoosiers scored the next 4 to trim the lead and at the under 4 media timeout, Ohio State led 33-24. Out of the timeout, Okpara went to the stripe and split a pair to extend the lead and on the next trip, Battle knocked down two to put the Buckeyes up 12. Indiana scored in the paint on their next trip but on the other end, Gayle drew a foul with a pump fake and buried both free throws. Indiana hit a pair of their own to cut the lead back to 10. The free throw contest continued as Gayle hit another pair as Ohio State’s lead grew back to 12. Back at the stripe, Indiana split a pair but on the other end, Gayle utilized an Austin Parks screen to drive the lane and score off the glass to complete the first half scoring with Ohio State taking a 42-29 lead to the locker room. Ohio State shot 50% from the floor and hit 2 of 6 from range, while holding Indiana to just 33% shooting and 1-6 from deep. While the Buckeye defense was outstanding in the halfcourt, the lead was in no small part due to a 16-2 advantage in points off turnovers. Roddy Gayle hit all 5 field goal attempts and all 4 free throws to lead Ohio State with 15 first half points, while Jamison Battle added 8. Indiana was paced by Malik Reneau’s 10.

A little over a minute into the second half Ohio State’s lead ballooned to 18. A technical foul on Indiana’s Malik Reneau led to a pair of Battle free throws and on the ensuing possession, after a pair of offensive rebounds, Thornton drilled a triple from the top. Indiana finally got on the board after a long rebound enabled a transition dunk, but Gayle answered with a scoop in the lane that was whistled for a goal tend. Indiana stopped the bleeding with 5 straight points, but after a Hoosier turnover, the frustration was clearly mounting and showing on the faces of the Indiana players and IU Coach Mike Woodson called a timeout with 16:14 left in the game and Ohio State leading 49-36. A high hook mid paint by Okpara ended the 5-0 Hoosier run, but another 6-0 Indiana run, 11-2 overall, cut the Buckeye lead to 9. Battle ended the run with a triple from the right wing and Chris Holtmann took a 30 second timeout as Ohio State had saw their 18 point lead carved to 9 before the Battle 3. Indiana cut the lead to 10 with rebound and put back and on the other end, Mahaffey got to the stripe and split the pair. The Hoosiers scored again in the paint and after an Ohio State miss and loose ball foul, the under 12 media timeout was called with Ohio State leading 55-46. Indiana split a pair of free throws, cutting the lead to 8, but on the other end, Battle found Key at the right block for two. Ohio State added to the lead after a Hoosier miss, Mahaffey rushed up the floor and kicked to Bonner in the right corner for three putting the Buckeyes up 13. A loose ball score by the Hoosiers stopped the 5-0 Ohio State run and after Battle missed a wide open 3, an easy score at the rim by IU cut the lead back to 9. Thornton split a pair of free throws and Battle made two on consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 12. An Indiana lay in preceded the under 8 media timeout with Ohio State leading 63-53. Out of the timeout, Key went to the line and knocked down the pair to increase the Buckeye lead to 12. Indiana wouldn’t go away however as a 10-0 Hoosier run trimmed the lead to just 2. A pair of Gayle free throws stopped the bleeding and the run, but an Indiana triple cut the lead to 1. Gayle penetrated the lane on the other end and wrapped a pass to Okpara for a dunk, but on the other end Indiana scored in the paint to answer and with 3:02 to play and the final media timeout, Ohio State led 69-68. Out of the timeout,  Indiana grabbed their first lead since the first five minutes of the game and after a Buckeye turnover, Indiana split a pair of free throws to take a 2 point lead. Battle scored mid lane on a play that was called goal tending to tie the game with 1:40 left to play. A defensive stop creating a shot clock violation gave the ball back to Ohio State. Battle got into the paint and drew a foul to get to the line where he banged down the pair to put Ohio State up 2 with 37 seconds to play. Indiana got free in the right corner and drilled a three with 22 seconds remaining and Indiana took a timeout leading 74-73. Ohio State’s Jamison Battle turned it over at the top of the key and a foul with 2.9 seconds left and a foul put Indiana on the stripe and both dropped. Thornton’s deep three at the horn banged off target ending the epic Hoosier comeback and sending Ohio State down to an embarrassing defeat. 

If Ohio State has any designs on salvaging their season, the two home games this week against marginal opponents had to be wins. After tonight, they have officially hit rock bottom. Offensively, the Buckeyes were once again extremely efficient for most of the first 30 minutes, but protecting a lead, they got out of control yet again, turning it over on multiple occasions allowing Indiana easy opportunities. Additionally, after 20 minutes of outstanding, highly connected half court defense, they once again failed on that end in the second half as Indiana was able to run their offense effectively possession after possession getting easy shots near the rim. Where do they go from here? There isn’t much left to play for this year in terms of a post season possibility, so they need to just keep working to get better and with most of this group set to return next year, they need to learn how to win basketball games. Losing is all this group knows at Ohio State and it seems to be in their heads right now. There is talent in that locker room, but they are just missing that guy or two that can be a run stopper and can get a basket to keep opponents from getting multiple double digit runs. The lack of offense in the post is a clear deficiency and something they absolutely must address in the coming offseason to get this team back to contending again.

Ohio State takes the floor again on Saturday afternoon, hosting Maryland in the Schott for a 4PM tip airing on FS1

-Jason Harris