What We Learned about Buckeyes during deep B1G run

COLUMBUS — Ohio State came up short in the Big Ten title game.

After three-straight exhilarating games, an upset of top-seeded Michigan and plenty of late-game drama, the Buckeyes nearly capped it all off with another upset of Illinois for the Big Ten title before falling in overtime.

Two overtime games. Late-game blown leads. Heroic performances from the biggest stars. Ohio State had it all in its run over the weekend. And the Buckeyes left the conference tournament having learned a lot about themselves before gearing up for the NCAA Tournament next weekend.

“We all learned more about our guys and our ability to respond, stay in the moment and win the moment right in front of us,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “It takes tremendous character. Obviously it takes good players. But it takes tremendous character, and it takes the ability to grow in that area doing hard things as the season goes on and embrace that.

“It was a really seminal moment to see how we responded to that tough stretch.”

Now the No. 2 seed Buckeyes shift their focus over the next four days to an NCAA Tournament tilt with Oral Roberts, a No. 15 seed and champion of the Summit League, for their Round of 64 game. That game will tip off Friday at 3 p.m.

Ohio State has just a few days to recover from the heartbreak of losing an overtime thriller in the conference championship game, in which it learned plenty.

“Words like resiliency and toughness and grit, they get used too much,” Holtmann said. “But this group has it. They have it, they have that. They do. If you followed us, you know that. We don’t play perfect or coach perfect, but we have that. We do have that.”

The Buckeyes began to prove they have it in the Big Ten Tournament. Now, they turn full attention to making another deep tournament run, this time in the Big Dance. Before the madness of March truly begins, Lettermen Row is breaking down What We Learned from the Buckeyes near-title in the Big Ten Tournament.

Buckeyes bench can be NCAA Tournament factor

Ohio State needed a boost in the Big Ten Tournament, especially after Kyle Young left the quarterfinal against Purdue with a head injury. He didn’t return for the rest of the tournament.

So, the Buckeyes looked to their deep bench for that boost — and it delivered. Ohio State averaged 20.5 bench points per game in its four-game Big Ten Tournament run, including 26 in the win over Purdue and 22 in the loss to Illinois.

“They’re just a really fun group to be around,” Holtmann said. “And you see it in the way they play and you see it in their interaction on the bench.”

With guard CJ Walker becoming the primary scorer off the bench and Seth Towns finding some offense in spurts, the Buckeyes can rely on the reserves helping out in any given game.

That’s a good sign for a deep tournament run.

Duane Washington can carry Buckeyes deep into March

Duane Washington has helped carry the Buckeyes all season. And he nearly carried them to a Big Ten Tournament title.

Washington scored 92 points in four games in the conference tournament, including 24 in the win over Michigan and a career-high 32 in the loss to Illinois. Washington can use dribble-drives to beat defenses. He’s a sharp-shooter from the outside. And he’s the key to a potential run in March Madness, especially after his performance throughout the league tournament.

“Any day, I feel like Duane brings the same energy every single time,” All-Big Ten forward E.J. Liddell said. “[Against Michigan], we needed him big, huge. That’s why he’s a big-time player. I have nothing but respect for Duane, and I’m so happy I’m able to play with him.”

If Washington gets hot in the next few weeks, the Buckeyes could be one of the last teams standing, just like they were in the Big Ten Tournament.

Ohio State needs better late-game management

Ohio State carried a double-digit lead into the final media timeout of its tournament-opening game against Minnesota. The Buckeyes nearly coughed up the lead and won by just four. They also had a double-digit lead late against Purdue and needed overtime to finish off the Boilermakers. Then they almost lost to Michigan after blowing a late lead.

Those late-game blown leads cannot happen in the NCAA Tournament. Sure, the Buckeyes won all three of those games. But they may not be so lucky in the Big Dance. If this team is going to make a deep run over the next two weekends, it needs to be better at closing out games and putting teams away.

Confident Buckeyes can advance deep into NCAA Tournament

Now with the Big Ten Tournament and the sting of an overtime loss to Illinois in the title game behind them, the Buckeyes can begin prep for Oral Roberts.

If they can avoid a first-round upset, the Buckeyes will play the winner of No. 7 Florida and No. 10 Virginia Tech. From there, a Sweet 16 matchup looks favorable for Ohio State. After a deep Big Ten Tournament run, this Ohio State team seems ready for similar success in the Big Dance.

“Guys tasted the opportunity to win a championship, and I think it was important for us to play well,” Holtmann said. “I did not think we were playing poorly in that closing stretch, large stretches of the Iowa game where I did not think we played well. I thought some of the other games, we were. But we needed to raise our level. I think we did that. There are no guarantees. We’ve got to find a way to continue to do that.

“Every game is a challenge in the tournament. There are no easy ones. So I think it was important for us to play well. Some of the halves were some of the best halves of our season. I think we can build on that.”

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