It’s a fine line between winning and losing in the Big Ten this year, and the Ohio State basketball team just found that out in a very cruel fashion Tuesday night.
The Buckeyes controlled the game almost all the way throughout at home against Purdue, but at the very end, they couldn’t make the plays needed to salt the game away and came out with a heartbreaking 67-65 loss. Credit has to be given to the Boilermakers for making things happen on their end, but there’s no way around it — OSU should have put this one away in the win column.
As it was, the Buckeyes still had a shot to do it after giving away a six to eleven point lead throughout the game when it had a possession with under a minute left and the score tied. That opportunity led to poor execution and a missed foul call on a Justin Ahrens’ three-point attempt.
Purdue took advantage of the “miss” and nailed a three on the other end to go up by three points. Purdue then fouled Duane Washington and set up a tough scenario in which he’d have to make the first and hope to get a rebound off a purposeful miss. OSU couldn’t pull it off, and as a result, Ohio State’s record falls to 5-4 in the Big Ten and 11-4 overall.
A loss stings, but tomorrow's another day to get better.
Next game: Saturday at Wisconsin.#Team122 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/LBvQBtgSs9
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) January 20, 2021
If you’re keeping track, that’s two games Ohio State let get away now. The game against Northwestern on the road had a very similar feeling, and it’s two games that could have a significant impact on postseason plans.
Duane Washington, Jr. led all scorers with 21 points, going six of nine from beyond the arc, and seven of fourteen from the field overall.
OSU now has to pull up its bootstraps and find a way to get something done on the road against Wisconsin on Saturday.
[lawrence-related id=44649]
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.