CC Sabathia opens up about addiction, rehab in The Players Tribune
March 7, 2016LeBron James notches his 51st Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors
March 7, 2016In their final chance to add a big win to their resume in the regular season, in their season finale Saturday afternoon, Ohio State just didn’t have enough talent or offense to come away with a win over one of the best teams in the country in East Lansing.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, on the Spartan’s Senior Day, they played one of their best games of the season, leading to a 76-91 loss to Michigan State. Tied at 21, Sparty went on a 10-1 run to take the lead for good and never looked back. The Buckeyes trailed 37-47 at halftime and were outscored in the final 20 minutes, 39-44.
Ohio State lose to the Spartans in regular season finale, 76-91
Led by National Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine (27 points, four rebounds, 13 assists, one steal, one block), Michigan State shot an incredible 67 percent from the field (50 percent from beyond the arc). Whether it was Ohio State’s defense or just the fact that the Spartans were feeling it Saturday, any team that shoots that percentage is going to be hard to beat. Valentine made an impressive 9-of-13 shots from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point land.
Three Buckeyes scored in double figures in the loss: Marc Loving (21 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal), JaQuan Lyle (18 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal), and Kam Williams (15 points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals). The scarlet and gray made an impressive 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc but just 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from the free-throw line. If they continue to shoot like that from the free-throw stripe, they won’t win many more games.
With the loss and the other results around the conference over the weekend, the Buckeyes are the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They will go up against No. 10 Penn State Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Then, if they win, they will (unfortunately) have to play No. 2 Michigan State for the third time in just three weeks. Their two losses to the Spartans during the regular season came by an average of 17 points per game.
While missing out a golden opportunity to add a big win to their resume for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes will most likely have another shot to beat Michigan State Friday night, if they beat Penn State on Thursday.
Coming up this week:
Big Ten Tournament
- Thursday vs. No. 10 seed Penn State (16-15, 7-11), 6:30 p.m. ET
- If they beat the Nittany Lions: Friday vs. No. 2 seed Michigan State (26-5, 13-5), 6:30 p.m. ET
This will be the last Buckeyes Roundball Roundup of the season. Each postseason game will have it’s own recap following each game.