It’s tough to look at a 21-point victory and nitpick it after the season the Ohio State basketball team has had.
Coming into the night, the Nebraska Cornhuskers had 20 losses. They were, hopefully, never going to beat the Buckeyes. However, we’ve seen crazier things happen in his roller coaster of a season.
For Ohio State, it played nine players and six were given double-figure minutes. It’s also important to note the Buckeyes were playing without Kyle Young, one of the veteran leaders of this group.
What was notable against Nebraska and has reared its ugly head before is that this Buckeyes team is not as deep as we first thought heading into the season.
Even when DJ Carton was on the roster, OSU only consistently played seven players. Now, without Carton, it’s only six that head coach Chris Holtmann has put his trust in for consistent and meaningful minutes.
Including Carton, only seven players have started for Ohio State, and with that sixth man coming in as Duane Washington Jr. or Andre Wesson, the Buckeyes really lack a big man’s presence outside of Kaleb Wesson.
Just a more physical team overall, the Buckeyes dominated the Cornhuskers on the glass, but it isn’t always that way. During the team’s January losing streak, it was outrebounded three straight times.
One or two big men in foul trouble will hurt this team, and although it wasn’t on full display again Nebraska, it was noticed that, without Young, this team’s frontcourt play just isn’t as cohesive.
The play was dominant, but with such a short rotation, their lack of depth was certainly notable — especially on the front line.
With depth a concern, one has to wonder if this team is built for a significant postseason run.