Ohio State basketball: Was losing in the first round good?

The Ohio State basketball team lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against Penn State on Thursday. While you never want the team to lose, could this actually be a good thing?

The Ohio State basketball team has lost four of their last five games. The most recent loss was in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Penn State. It was another frustrating loss to watch because the Buckeyes blew a double-digit lead yet again.

But could this loss actually be a good thing for the Buckeyes? The reason why it could be a good thing is that it gives a tired, injured team some much-needed rest. They won’t play again until Thursday at the earliest, which would give them a full week of rest.

Rest gives Kyle Young and Zed Key a chance to come back and play. Young is the most important player on this roster, so getting him back for the NCAA Tournament is a must. His defensive versatility is extremely valuable to this team’s success in a first-round matchup.

The rest doesn’t just help Young and Key. It also helps Chris Holtmann and his staff. It gives them a chance to reset their team’s mindset and help them get their confidence back. This is a team that looked beaten down mentally after the loss to Penn State earlier this week.

It remains to be seen if the rest will actually help this team fix the major issues that plague them right now, namely their poor perimeter defense. The only thing Ohio State basketball fans can do is hope that the rest does help and that it helps them win some games in late March.