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March 12, 2015Following a disappointing end to an up-and-down regular season, the Ohio State Buckeyes now have their full attention on the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State, who finished the regular season 22-9 (11-7), will be the No. 6 seed in the upcoming conference tournament that began last night and continues through Sunday night. At No. 6, the Buckeyes have the fourth best record in the Big Ten, but with three teams tied with the third best record, they were slotted as the sixth seed (lowest seed in ten years). Unfortunately, they will not get the double-bye that the top four seeds have and will have to play four games in four days if they want to win the Big Ten tournament.
In the Big Ten this year, it almost seems as though the conference is Wisconsin, who are in a class by themselves, and then everyone else. The Badgers are not only that good, but they are also one of the best teams in the country and have a legitimate shot of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, depending on how they fare in the conference tournament.
Ohio State’s only guaranteed game in the conference tournament will be Thursday night at approximately 9 p.m. against No. 11 Minnesota. If they beat the Golden Gophers, they will advance to play No. 3 Michigan State Spartans Friday night.
D’Angelo Russell will have to bring his ‘A’ game if the scarlet and gray want any shot of winning the Big Ten Tournament. The heart and soul of the Buckeyes offense, Russell is one of the best players in the country. He not only affects the game with his scoring ability, but he has had some awesome assists and is even a terrific rebounder as well. If Russell is on fire at any point during the tournament, the opponent better watch out. He can make shots from anywhere on the court when he is feeling it.
Russell even compared himself to Shabazz Napier and Kemba Walker, who both led the Connecticut Huskies’ teams to deep runs in March, starting with an unlikely run in their conference tournament.
“I wouldn’t say Shabazz and Kemba-type like thing, but I would definitely do a ‘D’Angelo Russell’ approach and do whatever I gotta do to lead this team,” he said. “If it’s scoring, rebounding, whatever coach needs me to do I’m willing. I just want to win. I know the guys I got around me and the coaching staff want the same thing.”
Outside of Russell, Marc Loving must be able to find his groove and shot again. Since returning from suspension, he has struggled mightily on the offensive end. Before his suspension, Loving shot 45 percent from the floor (47.1 percent from three-point range); since returning from suspension, he has made just four of his 21 shots (two of 14 from three-point range) in six games. We already known what Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, Jae’Sean Tate, and company can bring to this team, but Russell and Loving must lead this offense. When Loving is making his shots, especially from beyond the arc, it opens up the offense so much and not only lets other players have opponent shots, but also makes it hard for opponents to double-team Russell.
If there are no upsets, the Buckeyes will have to play No. 11 Minnesota, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 2 Maryland, and then No.1 Wisconsin, if they want to secure a Big Ten Tournament title. Not only would they have to go up against the top three teams in the conference, but Ohio State would also have to play four games in four days. During the season, the Buckeyes lost their only game against Michigan State, in East Lansing, 59-56. They beat the Terrapins in their only meeting of the season, at home, 80-56. The scarlet and gray lost their only game against the Badgers, at home finale, 72-48.
Ohio State definitely has a shot at not only playing on Sunday, but also to bring another Big Ten Tournament championship back to Columbus. With a player like Russell, anything is possible, especially when Thad Matta is at the helm.
Matta seems to get the best out of his players once tournament time rolls around, at least in past years. With Ohio State losers of three of their last six games, hopefully Matta can do the same this year for the young Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes may be the No. 6 seed, but according to Vegas, they have the second best odds (9/2) of winning the Big Ten tournament this weekend, only behind the Wisconsin Badgers (10/11).
Having won more Big Ten Tournament titles (5) than any other team in the conference, the scarlet and gray always stand a chance, especially when they are coached by Matta. The Buckeyes may have been blown out by Wisconsin in their season and home finale, but Connecticut lost at Louisville—by 33 points—in their season finale last season and went on to win the National Championship.