No. 13 Ohio State sneaks past gritty Nebraska to 64-59 win

Still perfect in conference play, the Buckeyes muscled their way to a tough victory at home.

After jumping nine spots in the most recent AP Top 25 poll, No. 13 Ohio State found a dogfight in Columbus against Nebraska. Considering their recent smooth sailing over conference opponents, the streaking Cornhuskers gave the Buckeyes their toughest run of the new year.

The first half started like so many have so far this season for Ohio State; their opponent held an early edge, but the Buckeyes did enough to keep it close. Instead of the standard big run the Buckeyes normally take in the last 10 minutes of the half, Nebraska held them in check.

The two teams headed to the locker room in a tight, 24-22 game, Ohio State with the advantage.

Evident from the first twenty minutes of play, neither team shot the basketball with any particular consistency, a trend that continued throughout play.

In total, Ohio State shot 44.2-percent (23-of-52) as a team with Nebraska shooting 38.9-percent (21-of-55).

However, Ohio State would’ve been in trouble if any Cornhusker had something going aside from James Palmer Jr. The junior guard contributed 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting (5-of-11 from three).

The next leading Cornhusker was forward Isaac Copeland, who netted just 8 points. This gave Nebraska a very limited number of pathes to earn a win.

Cornhuskers aside, tonight showed the Buckeyes have enough to sneak a win out of tough games.

Although Palmer led the formidable upset bid for Nebraska, Ohio State’s victory told more about the intangibles of the Buckeyes. The starting five gathered to seal an Ohio State victory, despite just 3 points coming from the bench.

Keita Bates-Diop led the game for the Buckeyes with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting (4-of-5 from three), but it was the junior’s defense that played the greatest factor. Bates-Diop played smothering defense, especially over the last ten minutes of play.

Over the last stretch of basketball, Bates-Diop’s match found themselves in a black hole of defense; it’s the underrated, but hugely significant part of the Buckeye star’s game.

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Credit Jae’Sean Tate and CJ Jackson for big plays down the stretch. Looking to the 2:38 mark, a great steal by Tate led an impactful transition lay-up by Jackson, who made his free-throw on an and-one attempt to give Ohio State a 60-54 lead.

From there, Ohio State controlled the rock down the stretch to keep their conference record perfect. Thanks to great ball control and poised defense, Chris Holtmann’s bunch kept the Cornhuskers at arm’s length to seal their 64-59 victory.

Not previously noted was another great effort from freshman Kaleb Wesson. The forward scored 12 on 3-of-5 shooting, including an impressive 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. At times, Wesson provided a basket to give a dwindling offensive attack new life.

Perhaps tonight represented the best win of the streak thus far.

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It wasn’t their prettiest over the stretch, but Ohio State is now winners of eight in a row. Up next is a tough bunch from Penn State at the Schottenstein Center. For now, the Buckeyes can rest knowing they beat a very gritty bunch from Nebraska.