Ohio State basketball: 3 things the Buckeyes need to do to avoid upset

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Malaki Branham (22), forward E.J. Liddell (32), guard Cedric Russell (2) and guard Jimmy Sotos (1) embrace during "Carmen Ohio" following the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on March 6, 2022. Michigan won 75-69.Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Malaki Branham (22), forward E.J. Liddell (32), guard Cedric Russell (2) and guard Jimmy Sotos (1) embrace during "Carmen Ohio" following the NCAA men's basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus on March 6, 2022. Michigan won 75-69.Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes /
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The Ohio State basketball has had struggles in many different areas this season. We all know that they ended their season on a big slide and aren’t playing very well heading into their first-round matchup with Loyola Chicago. Ohio State isn’t a trendy pick to win that game.

Of course, they still are the higher-seeded team. The Buckeyes are the 7-seed while Loyola Chicago is the 10-seed. Ohio State still has beaten some really talented teams this season, including Wisconsin, Seton Hall, Illinois, and Duke.

The question is whether or not that version of the Ohio State basketball team will show up as opposed to the version we’ve seen so far in the month of March. The current version has no chance of winning on Friday while the past version of the team has a chance to make a Final Four.

There are 3 things that the Buckeyes need to avoid doing if the Buckeyes want to avoid an upset in the first round in consecutive seasons. These things are very simple and fundamental to winning. No one is asking this team to reinvent the wheel in order to beat a 10-seed.

If the Buckeyes are able to do these three things, they should survive another day to take on a second-round opponent, most likely Villanova. If they don’t they will likely be headed home early for the second consecutive year after another disappointing finish to a season.

The first thing they have to do is value every possession.