Justice Sueing says team 'showed what Ohio State basketball is'

Ohio State‘s improbable Big Ten Tournament run came to an end Saturday night when they were defeated by No. 5 Purdue in the semifinals 80-66. Buckeyes senior forward Justice Sueing previously said that he wanted to prove that his team belonged as deep in the conference tournament as they were, and was asked if he felt like that was someone achieved despite losing the the Boilermakers after the game.

“Yeah, I think we showed what Ohio State basketball is. We go out there and we compete. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. My guys brought it regardless of who we’re playing. Purdue is a great team at the end of the day. They’re Number 1 in the country,” Sueing said.

The Buckeyes ended the regular season with a 13-18 record and a 5-15 record in their conference games, second worst in the Big Ten. They entered the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 13 seed in the field and one of four teams without any sort of bye.

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Ohio State kicked it into a new gear once tournament play started upsetting Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State in their first three games. The Buckeyes won three straight games for the first time this season since a streak started in December of 2022 versus Maine.

They had a five and nine-game losing streak at two different points during the season, but their cinderella Big Ten Tournament run showed a new side to them, as their semifinal appearance made them the lowest seed to advance that far in Big Ten Tournament history.

“We did our job by playing the right way, making the right plays, and leaving it all out there on the floor. With that, we live with the results,” Sueing said. “So I love my guys, I love the coaches, and I’m just proud of our effort throughout this entire thing.”

There’s no question that the Buckeyes surprised and impressed during their unexpected tournament run, but they were definitely outmatched by the Big Ten’s top seed and regular season champion Purdue Boilermakers. Ohio State shot the ball efficiently and took care of it as well, but Purdue All-American center and Big Ten Player of the year Zach Edey was simply too much for the Buckeyes.

Edey ended the night with 32 points and 14 rebounds, his seventh 30-plus point game of the season. And he may have bested the Buckeyes, but their Big Ten Tournament performance was definitely one to be proud of.