Ohio State’s run of four wins in five games comes to a halt against a hot Nebraska team that leaned on its best player in the final minutes for a fourth straight win on the heels of a six-game losing streak.
Ohio State’s next three basketball games will be played at home. If the home hardwood at the Schottenstein Center is as good to the Buckeyes as it’s supposed to be for other Big Ten teams, start making NCAA Tournament plans.
If not?
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Then the promising play in the middle of the conference schedule will be an opportunity lost. The Buckeyes play host to Washington on Wednesday, Michigan on Sunday and Northwestern on February 20.
Must wins.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Sunday’s trip to Nebraska wasn’t a must win. But every win helps this time of year, especially against a team with a similar tournament resume, and, most especially, when your team is fighting for one of the precious bubble spots.
Like most Ohio State games this season, there were good times, bad times. And Nebraska, like all teams fighting for an NCAA Tournament tend to do on their home floor, saved most of its good times for the second half and followed point guard Brice Williams to a 79-71 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“We had to put our best foot forward, but we didn’t do that for enough of the game,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said.
No matter how hard the Buckeyes try, they keep getting into the same old jam. For the fifth time, they tried to finish a game with a winning record in the Big Ten. They most recently failed to do so at 5-5 and now 6-6. That’s why the next three games matter so much before a Los Angeles trip to play UCLA and USC. Then it’s home to face Nebraska again and a trip to Indiana for the finale.
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At 14-10 and 6-7 and hovering as a potential No. 10 seed – probably about the best they can hope for outside a great final run and/or deep Big Ten tournament push – the Buckeyes need to string together more of the good moments they had against the Cornhuskers. And avoid the up-and-down defensive execution that had been mostly up during four wins in their past five games.
Nebraska, winners of four straight (following a six-game losing streak) to rise to 16-8 and 6-7, understands that need as well. The Huskers started fast when Williams scored 13 points. Then he didn’t score for more than 16 minutes while the Buckeyes controlled most of the action. Then Williams scored 11 more to finish with 24 and showed how he averaged 26 points in the Huskers three previous games and why he is the reigning Big Ten player of the week.
Micah Parrish scored a career-high 30 points in the Buckeyes Sunday loss at Nebraska.
The Huskers led 65-60 when Williams drove to the basket for two more with 2:29 left. He attacked again at 2:03, was fouled and made both free throws for a 67-60 lead. And the Buckeyes had no more good times left.
“He’s not forcing the issue right now,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “As well as he’s playing, he’s making the right play. This last week he’s been as good as anybody in the country.”
Diebler felt the impact of the 6-foot-7 Williams making key plays at key times and also grabbing 10 rebounds
“He can score at three levels, and he’s got really good size for a point guard,” Diebler said. “That certainly can cause some problems. He’s playing with a lot of confidence, plays at a great pace.”
Ohio State’s good times mostly belonged to guards Micah Parrish and John Mobley Jr. Parrish scored a career-high 30 points and made 5 of 12 3-point attempts. Mobley Jr. scored 21 and made 5 of 10 3-pointers. The Buckeyes shot 43%, including 40% from 3-point distance. But the Huskers shot 52% overall.
Nebraska had the run of their home floor for a few minutes on a 13-2 first-half run that built a 21-12 lead led by Williams. The Buckeyes couldn’t find wide-open Cornhuskers, who scored a handful of easy buckets. They Buckeyes looked as lost as a first-time guest hunting for the bathroom.
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But Parrish redirected the Buckeyes into some good times with two difficult baskets in the lane, a free throw and two 3-pointers to cut the lead to 27-25 with 7:43 left in the half. The Buckeyes, with a 13-6 run, were back in the game and avoided the big deficit like the 17-point one they had to overcome to beat Maryland on Thursday.
Parrish wasn’t finished. He stole a pass, had one man to beat to the basket, scored and drew the foul, made the free throw. The Buckeyes led 30-29. And Parrish went to the bench for a rest with 14 points.
The Buckeyes finished the half strong for a 39-34 lead. Parrish had plenty of backcourt scoring help. Mobley Jr. made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points. Bruce Thornton made 4 of 5 shots for eight points. The trio scored 33 points in the h
Freshman John Mobley, Jr. hit 5 of 10 three-pointers on is way to 21 points in Sunday’s game with Nebraska.
Thornton, however, missed all five of his shots in the second half and finished with nine points. Turned out to be a bad time for poor shooting half. No one else scored more than five points. Devin Royal, normally in double figures, battled an apparent ankle injury, played only 15 minutes and scored two points.
“Both those guys (Parrish and Mobley Jr.) made shots,” Diebler said. “We gotta finish better in the paint. We need some of our forwards to step up and be more efficient in there. That’s going to be important. I think they’re getting a little sped up in traffic, and they’ve got to just play with a little more poise.”
Ohio State lost its halftime lead quickly as Nebraska used an 8-0 run to tie the score at 42 less than three minutes into the half. Halfway through the half the Huskers took the lead and never gave it back.
“We needed to try to win that first segment and certainly anticipated them coming out with a ton of energy,” Diebler said. “It felt like we had a couple good looks that didn’t go down, they went down and scored and that can obviously change momentum quickly.”
The Buckeyes hung around, and Parrish’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 58-56 with 6:25 left. Mobley Jr. did it again with a 3-pointer to make the scored 62-60 with 3:49 left. But Williams took over and the Huskers closed the game with a 17-11 run.
Three telling stats happened as a result of the action close to the basket where the Buckeyes didn’t have their best day. The Huskers scored nine points off six offensive rebounds and outscored the Buckeyes 40-26 in the paint. The Buckeyes made 9 of 15 free throws, while the Huskers made 18 of 21.
“Our guys fought really, really hard, but a few too many perimeter shots,” Diebler said. “I would like us to be a little more forceful in the paint and give ourselves a chance to get to the free-throw line a little bit more. But they hit some timely ones. You got to give them credit.”
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