Free throws doom Ohio State basketball vs. Aggies

The Ohio State basketball team was actually favored heading into their matchup with 15th-ranked Texas A&M. The Buckeyes were coming off a comeback win over Oakland in their opener earlier in the week. A&M had a blowout win before heading into the Schott.

Ohio State was down by just one point after one half of play. Rebounding was a problem in that half for the Buckeyes as they allowed a bunch of offensive rebounds. As a whole, the offense looked a lot better than it did against Oakland. Sadly, it wasn’t enough.

The Buckeyes lost their first game of the season 73-66. One of the biggest reasons why the Ohio State basketball team lost is their inability to convert at the foul line. They finished just 10-17 from the line, shooting a paltry 58.8% from the line. You can’t do that against a good team.

Bruce Thornton played a nice game though. He had 24 points on 8/20 shooting. His scoring is what kept the Buckeyes in it until the very end. Roddy Gayle’s passing helped too. He finished with a team-high 6 assists. His shooting was cold though, going just 4/12.

Outside shooting continues to be a major issue with this team. The Buckeyes shot just 4/19 from beyond the arc. That’s 21%. You’re not going to win games shooting 21% from deep. It’s a problem that has plagued Chris Holtmann’s teams for most of his Ohio State coaching career.

Teams will continue to exploit that weakness moving forward. Teams will just pack the paint and force them to make outside shots. Unless something drastically changes, that’s going to be a recipe for disaster for the Buckeyes. Maybe they need to let more of the freshmen play.

I never expected Ohio State to win this game. Texas A&M is clearly the more talented team and they showed it on the court.