Column: Are Buckeyes tough enough?

COLUMBUS - Whether Sunday was a penicillin shot to cure what ails them or just a handful of aspirin to mask the pain, Wednesday night will be a good indication of just how tough this Ohio State men's basketball team really is.

The Buckeyes go on the road to Nebraska for a late game. And it should be noted that Ohio State is 0-3 on the road in the Big Ten, 0-4 in true road games and 0-5 in games away from the Schottenstein Center this season.

Numbers like that are what made Sunday afternoon's 72-67 victory over first-place Michigan State so necessary.

"We hadn't won since Dec. 22. It's a wonderful feeling," Ohio State sophomore guard JaQuan Lyle said after putting up 22 points and six assists with just one turnover. "I think it's a great start, and we have to keep fighting for the rest of the Big Ten season. Tonight, we showed that we can play through adversity and compete. That's what we're going to have to do throughout the rest of the Big Ten season."

Ohio State coach Thad Matta couldn't agree more, especially after a lackluster effort at Wisconsin on Thursday night, an 89-66 loss.

"We needed it. There’s no question about it," Matta said. "We got back whenever from Madison on Thursday night and I said: 'Life's lesson: You’ve got to stand for something in life. We'll see how we respond on Sunday after being annihilated in terms of just who we are as people.' I didn't know if we were going to win the basketball game, but I thought they did a very good job the last couple of days of competing very hard."

That's been the rub with this program for three seasons as questions swirl around it.

Can the Buckeyes compete when they aren't at full strength? Can they win when adversity strikes? Are they tough? Do they care? Are they bought in?

Since winning a Big Ten Tournament title and going to the Elite Eight in 2012-13, they haven't always competed at a high level, given effort for 40 minutes or overcome adversity, which has led many to question their hearts and Matta's direction. Fifth-, sixth- and seventh-place finishes in the Big Ten with first-weekend outs in the NCAA Tournament followed by a second-round loss in the NIT attest to it.

"I just hope we learned something in terms of competing and knowing we have to go do that again," Matta said. "I thought we handled adversity better than we probably ever done in a long time here."

Michigan State made its first six shots, but Ohio State didn't buckle. Instead, the Buckeyes found ways to hang around until they could turn the table on the Spartans. After a Lyle 3-pointer with 7:15 left, OSU led the rest of the way, getting more big plays from Lyle, Jae'Sean Tate and Trevor Thompson.

"It was a great win for us, and we have no choice but to build off it," Lyle said. "Over these past four games, we've been the lowest of the low that we can be. The only way now is to go up. I think we need to keep holding each other accountable and keep pushing each other every day and it will all come together."

Added senior Marc Loving: "We set the standard, and we know what we are capable of. We're going to hold each other accountable for that standard. It's something that has to be brought to the table every time we step out onto the floor. If one guy is not bringing it, you've got to let him know and encourage him and pick him up."

So the Buckeyes are saying the right things, but will they play the right way? After three years of middling play, was Sunday the epiphany?

The loss of Keita Bates-Diop — one of their best players when healthy — to a leg injury and surgery obviously hurts, but it shouldn't be catastrophic. Matta's message to his team in the aftermath of losing him has been simple.

"Just keep playing," he said. "I was 10-9 at Xavier, and four weeks later, we were playing in the Elite Eight to go play in the Final Four. Just keep fighting, man."

We'll see just how much fight the Buckeyes have Wednesday night when they try to snap their winless road streak at Nebraska.

Rob McCurdy covers Ohio State men's basketball for USA Today Network-Ohio and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, work 740-375-5158, cell 419-610-0998 or Twitter @McMotorsport.

Buckeye GameDay Advance

Who: Ohio State (11-7, 1-4) at Nebraska (9-8, 3-2)

What: Big Ten men's basketball

When: 9 p.m. Wednesday

TV: Big Ten Network

Series: Ohio State leads 13-3.