Heading into Monday night, the Ohio State basketball team didn't have a single Quad I victory. They had a few opportunities to get them, but they weren't able to close out close games against Pitt and North Carolina. The Buckeyes were looking to get one against undefeated Nebraska.
Nebraska hasn't been ranked in the top ten since the 1960s, and they came into Columbus as the 10th-ranked team in the country. The Cornhuskers were one of just five unbeaten teams in the country. Quite frankly, they have been the biggest surprise in the Big Ten.
It looked like it was going to be a blowout early. Nebraska started out with a 9-1 run early and got up by as much as 14 points. While the Buckeyes did a good job of fighting back, even taking the lead late in the game, another stretch of poorly executed plays down the stretch saw them lose the game.
The Ohio State basketball team fails in another late-game situation
Ohio State ended up losing the game 72-69 after missing a game-tying three with under five seconds remaining. Christoph Tilly was the player who attempted that three for some reason instead of Juni Mobley or Bruce Thornton. Tilly was just 3-9 for eight points in this game.
While Nebraska is a really good team, it's pretty clear that Jake Diebler has trouble getting his team to execute down the stretch against good teams. This was a fantastic opportunity for Ohio State to get a resume-building victory, to help them make the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, the Buckeyes lost a game at home that they had a great chance to win. This team looks like the same one they have had over the last three years that have missed the NCAA Tournament. If this is the start of another January slide, the Buckeyes will be looking for a new head coach at the end of the year.