Buckeyes Cough Up Late Lead, Fall to Nebraska

Marc Loving’s three-pointer with 32 seconds appeared to give his Ohio State Buckeyes a hard-fought Big Ten win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The shot upped the Buckeyes’ lead to five, and with the Huskers’ offensive struggles throughout the game, the lead seemed more than safe.

So much for that.

Nebraska’s Jack McVeigh responded with a three of his own on the ensuing possession, cutting the lead back down to two points. The three ball was one of three on the night for McVeigh, all coming in the second half.

Still, with 24 seconds left and a two point lead, the Buckeyes were well-positioned to get the win.

But another turnover, their 18th of the game, would ultimately do the Buckeyes in.

Kam Williams received the inbound pass and was quickly double-teamed. Without an outlet available, he was tied up quickly. Nebraska owned the arrow and took over possession with 21 seconds left.

Glynn Watson’s drive to the rim was rewarded with a tough finish and a foul called on Loving, giving the Huskers a chance to steal one in Columbus. Watson completed the three-point play, setting up the abomination that was the final possession for the Buckeyes.

After bring the ball past half court, Thad Matta called a timeout with eight seconds to play, giving assistant Chris Jent the opportunity to draw up the final possession. And it did not go according to plan.

The ball was inbounded to Jae’Sean Tate, who immediately looked to hand the ball off.

All passing lanes were filled, and Tate was forced to throw up a desperation three-pointer that proved harmless.

And that closed the book on how not to close a game out.

Despite holding Nebraska to 38 percent shooting, Ohio State falls to 5-10 in the Big Ten and 15-13 overall.

Tate led the Buckeyes with 14 points, while Loving and Trevor Thompson added 13 each.

With three games remaining in the regular season, they are in desperate need of wins to avoid having to play on the opening day of the conference tournament.

With NCAA tournament hopes well past dashed, barring a surprising run in D.C., they are also fighting just to play postseason basketball at all.

The Buckeyes are back of the floor Thursday night when 11th ranked Wisconsin comes to Columbus. Tipoff is set for 9:00.