Kirk Herbstreit applauds Ohio State buzzer-beater vs. Michigan State

Ohio State snapped a 17-game losing skid on the road on Sunday afternoon with a miracle buzzer-beater against Michigan State, giving the Buckeyes their first road win in 420 days.

It happened when guard Dale Bonner hit a turnaround 3-point shot from the left side of the floor over the defense.

And at least one Ohio State alumnus was watching and ready to chime in immediately upon the end of the game, congratulating the team on finally halting the horrific road skid and getting on the right track.

“WOWWWW!!!!!” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit wrote on Twitter. “What a win in [East Lansing] for @OhioStateHoops. [Jake Diebler] has these boys COMPETING. Great win fellas-keep that belief and momentum goin…fun to watch!”

Kirk Herbstreit, of course, is a huge figure in the Ohio State community. He played quarterback for the program from 1989-93, eventually becoming a team captain and the team’s MVP.

For the Buckeyes, Sunday’s win came after trailing the Spartans for the vast majority of the game.

Michigan State led by as many as 12 multiple times in the second half but was unable to pull away enough to slam the door shut on the game. Ohio State’s defense was terrific down the stretch.

With the clamps down, the Buckeyes allowed the Spartans to score just seven points in the final 11 minutes of the game.

Ohio State had a well-rounded scoring effort, getting points from seven different players, with four double-figure scorers. The double-figure scorers were Devin Royal (14), Roddy Gayle Jr. (12), Bruce Thornton and Felix Okpara (10).

Gayle led the Buckeyes with eight rebounds.

Michigan State only had two double-figure scorers, with Malik Hall chipping in 15 and Tyson Walker scoring 12.

Ohio State has now won two of three games since coach Chris Holtmann was fired. Holtmann was fired midway through his seventh season in charge. He had a 137-85 (.617) overall record, with a 67-64 (.511) mark in Big Ten play.

But while Ohio State is now without a permanent head coach, it seems to have a permanent fan in Kirk Herbstreit.