No. 8 Ohio State loses ugly at No. 22 Michigan, 74-62

The road was unforgiving this week as the Buckeyes played ugly in two consecutive losses.

This Ohio State team was never expected to be in the position they’re currently in; a tournament lock with the potential to cause havoc. However, two consecutive ugly losses, first at Penn State on Thursday, then at No. 22 Michigan, showed a team with clear flaws.

In the loss, the most glaring issues were unforced errors, leaving the Buckeyes frustrated and empty of flow.

Michigan capitalized over-and-over on poor Ohio State possessions, forcing the Buckeyes into 14 turnovers. The Wolverines, on the other hand, turned the ball over just 7 times.

Plus, when the Buckeyes had a chance to get easy baskets, they failed. While Ohio State showed the ability to get to the free throw line, they shot just 9-of-19 as a team.

Meanwhile, Michigan won the game by doing the little things at a high level. Not fouling and hitting 17-of-24 free throws showed a team simply more poised than Ohio State.

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Mark the performance of freshman Jordan Poole as a huge key to the Wolverine upset. His 15 points on 4-of-5 from three seemed to curtail any Ohio State momentum.

Jae’Sean Tate was the only Buckeye who showed any consistent fight. He finished with a team-high 20 points (9-of-14 shooting) and a career-high 15 rebounds. While Tate shot 2-of-5 from the free throw line with 4 turnovers, Ohio State would’ve been in a much bigger mess without his contribution.

As for teammate Keita Bates-Diop, the junior never found much of a flow in the loss. His 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting didn’t do much to affect the game, despite a then-huge three at the end of the first half (at the time, it cut Michigan’s lead to 33-28). His 4 turnovers go with an Ohio State trend of poor ball control.

Next: Ohio State ready to reclaim top spot in FBS

Now, Ohio State falls to 22-7 (13-3) on the season with just two games left on the schedule; home against Rutgers on Tuesday, finishing at Indiana on Saturday. Considering two ugly losses this week, the Buckeyes need to get right before the Big Ten conference tournament.