Ohio State men’s basketball road woes continued on Tuesday night in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they once again lost away from home in the Big Ten, falling to Nebraska 83-69.
The loss drops the Buckeyes to a 13-6 record, as it once again looks like their midseason swoon is in full effect, similar to last year. With a conference record of just 3-5, they are now just .5 games back from the bottom of the conference.
It was more of the same from Chris Holtmann’s team, most of the issues that have plagued them over the last three weeks reared their ugly heads once again. Find out what we learned following another Ohio State basketball road loss in the Big Ten, this time to Nebraska.
Ohio State’s fast start fizzled quickly
Buckeyes still ahead with 11:00 to go in the ☝️st ‼️
OSU: 22
NEB: 13#Team125 | #GoBucks— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) January 24, 2024
What we learned
The Buckeyes controlled the game early, jumping out to a 22-13 lead right after the under-12 timeout. After Roddy Gayle Jr. missed an open layup, it ignited the Huskers, as they went on a run to cut the lead to 22-21. The inability to get stops on the road continues to haunt this team. It’s just another aspect of this Big Ten road losing streak that compounds the problems.
Ohio State once again failed to close out a half
More work to do. #Team125 pic.twitter.com/00YzqiMQb2
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) January 24, 2024
What we learned
After a Felix Okpara dunk, Ohio State held a lead at 28-23 with just over 5:30 left in the half. Like it has done multiple times this season, it closed a half terribly. Nebraska would go on a three-point fueled run to close the first twenty minutes, outscoring the Buckeyes 20-7 to take a 43-35 lead. This has happened all too often this season, and there is no end in sight.
Ohio State had no answer Rienk Mast
3️⃣4️⃣ points, and counting .😱
Rienk Mast has a career-high for @HuskerMBB.
💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/l2J4XiDidd
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 24, 2024
What we learned
The Buckeyes have solid interior players, but both centers are not accustomed to playing away from the paint. Nebraska took advantage of that, specifically Rienk Mast. The Huskers’ big man found opportunities against the lackadaisical play from the Ohio State big men and made them pay for it, shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Not only that, but he dominated when the Buckeyes tried to switch up defenders. There wasn’t anyone on the roster that could stop Mask as he poured in 34 points with 10 rebounds.
Chris Holtmann tried a new spark, Bowen Hardman
Bowen Hardman has checked in for the #Buckeyes around the 7:00 mark in the 2H.
Chris Holtmann looking for any kind of spark right now.
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) January 24, 2024
What we learned
You can’t fault Holtmann for trying, as he went deep into his bench and gave Hardman minutes to try and shoot the Buckeyes back into the game. He didn’t fare terribly, going 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-7 from three. Having another shooting threat on the floor should help Ohio State going forward. You just have to wonder what took Holtmann so long to get Hardman significant minutes. The head coach might be in search mode at this point, and that’s not good.
The road losing streak continues for Ohio State and NCAA hopes fading quickly
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) January 24, 2024
What we learned
It looked like Ohio State would have a chance to break its 12-game Big Ten road losing streak. Nebraska had a say in that, as it shot 49.2% from the field and a crazy 51.9% from three. Add in the Buckeyes going 8-of-23 from beyond the arc and just 7-of-12 from the line, it’s almost always going to result in a loss. It’s looking like it’s going to be a difficult time for Ohio State to make a return to the NCAA Tournament.
It may be time to put Chris Holtmann on the hot seat
What we learned
I’m a big Holtmann fan, he’s done very well in his tenure in Columbus, but it starting to look like his time may be coming to an end. With a new athletic director in Ross Bjork starting to transition into the position, he may want to hire his own guy to run the program. This will be the second consecutive season where Ohio State looked like a shoo-in to make the tournament, only to falter as the calendar turns to the new year. Holtmann’s contract does run until 2028, but cutting the cord might be on the table if he can’t find a way to turn this thing around.
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