Ohio State couldn’t overcome carelessness with the ball
By and large, turnovers haven’t been too much of an issue for Ohio State this season. But, there have been games where they’ve come in bunches, and this was a depressing exhibit sent to the cruelest of judges. Against a team that had the statistically worse defense in the entire NCAA Tournament field, OSU turned the pumpkin over fifteen times. Contrast that to Oral Roberts modest six.
That’s just a lack of judgment, confidence, and strength on the ball, and it was a little too much to overcome. It basically negated the fifteen rebound advantage the Buckeyes had in the game. If you look at significant upsets in the history of college basketball, it usually has the turnover bug biting the favored team, and that was certainly the case today.