The Ohio State basketball team has had a bit of trouble finishing their season. Jake Diebler has had some problems with his team closing games. Now, instead of being firmly in the NCAA Tournament, they are in the bubble in a big way. They need to get more wins to make sure they get in.
Both the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers came into the game on Saturday afternoon as bubble teams. Each of them needed to win the game to make sure that they were still in the running to make the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes had a little bit more wiggle room than Indiana did.
Diebler has done a lot of work this week to prepare his team for the environment his players were getting ready to step into. With this being Mike Woodson's last game as the head coach for IU, emotions were going to be high. They were high, indeed.
Ohio State had a lead late in the game, but wasn’t able to hold on to it. It was another example of the Buckeyes blowing a game late. Now, the Buckeyes have to win at least two games in the Big Ten Tournament to guarantee their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State had their opportunities throughout the season to not have this situation. They blew at least six games that they should have won. Had they won just two of those, they would be fine. Now, they are at the mercy of the committee.
The Ohio State basketball team survives Indiana
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bucks don’t make it anymore. They have to make a big run in the Big Ten Tournament if they want to play meaningful basketball in March. This has been a failure of Diebler in his first season as a head coach.