Buckeyes show toughness in comeback win
COLUMBUS – Normally Ohio State saves that kind of act for its road show.
The Buckeyes brought it to Value City Arena on Sunday night, only this time they gave the fans an alternative ending.
After a listless and uninspiring effort in the first half — complete with silly turnovers and 27 percent shooting — Ohio State did its usual routine of coming back in the second half.
Only instead of coming up just short as it did at Indiana (a three-point loss), at Iowa (nine-point defeat), at Purdue (two-point loss), at Michigan State's (three-point defeat) or at Michigan's (seven-point loss), this time the Buckeyes took care of business.
"We knew (the Boilermakers) weren't going to keep shooting like that and we knew we weren't going to keep shooting 26 percent," Ohio State senior forward Sam Thompson said. "We had to play a little harder and had to play a little tougher and just weather the storm and finish the game."
It was a much-needed turn of events for a team that has struggled against bigger teams (North Carolina, Iowa, Purdue), more physical teams (Lousiville, Michigan State) and hot-shooting teams (Indiana, Michigan).
Is this a sign that Ohio State finally has gained some toughness after 29 games? After nearly a season, the Buckeyes figured out how to close out grinders when they are not at their best? Can they use this as a springboard into the madness of March?
Hard to say. Playing at home skews what we saw. Ohio State is 7-1 at home in Big Ten Conference games this year. In six of those wins, the Buckeyes won by an average margin of 19 points. So despite the antiseptic-yet-friendly confines of Value City Arena, getting a win — even a rare grinder at home — doesn't reveal all.
Nevertheless, the win showed this team isn't as soft as some suspected. Toughness has been questioned with this group all season and, for at least one night, they showed it had some much-needed grit.
"It's big. This is the type of win we have to get, especially in the month of March. It's too late for us to be taking steps backward now," Thompson said. "It's our time to hit our stride and to really get going and to really put together a run. This is the step in the right direction. We've got to come back tomorrow and have a good day in practice and take care of business on Wednesday (at Penn State)."
Nothing's guaranteed with this group, but Sunday's comeback victory against Purdue should be enough to land it in the NCAA Tournament. And at this point of the season, when a Big Ten championship is out of the question, that's the most important thing to play for.
"I can get used to this," Ohio State freshman guard D'Angelo Russell said of the comeback win. "This is great. Coach preached at shootaround that it's March and it's here. Every win counts and any win can trigger a run.
"We're making our strides forward. There's no room to go backwards."
Rob McCurdy covers Ohio State men's basketball for the Media Network of Central Ohio and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com or 419-521-7241. On Twitter follow @McMotorsport.
Obscure Stat of the Game
It's tough business winning on the road in the Big Ten. Since coming to Ohio State in 2004-05, Thad Matta ranks second in the league in road wins with a 51-44 record. Wisconsin has the best mark in that span at 53-40, while Michigan State is third at 50-44. Ohio State has one more roadie, going to Penn State Wednesday.
— Rob McCurdy