Heading into this season, the Ohio State basketball team was determined to end the streak of not making the NCAA Tournament. Three straight seasons have ended without a trip to the Big Dance, and the Buckeyes want to end it under Jake Diebler.
Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes had a very strong start, winning their first two games and five of their first six. However, they only played two P4 teams in that stretch of games, going 1-1 in those contests. With Ohio State dismantling Western Michigan 91-58, they have started 5-0.
That winning streak is impressive, especially since they also have a win against Notre Dame. That win, along with blowouts against every other opponent, has this team looking different than the ones that have faltered down the stretch when games mattered the most.
This Ohio State basketball team might be the one to end the streak
While it's still just November, Ohio State's offense looks good enough to compete with anyone. Bruce Thornton was great again against the Broncos, scoring 11 points and setting up his teammates. He actually only took five shots in this game, sensing that he didn't need to take over.
There's a shot that Ohio State could threaten to be ranked when the next polls come out. Of course, we will learn a lot more about this team when they take on Pitt next week. That will give the Buckeyes an opportunity to really find out if they are good enough to contend in the Big Ten.
Right now, this team looks like it's good enough to finish in the top half of the Big Ten. That might be enough to make the NCAA Tournament. If they want to put any questions away, they need to finish in the top six. In order to do that, Ohio State needs to play with good defense throughout an entire game.
Keeping his team ready to close out teams when things get close will be key for Jake Diebler down the stretch this season. Buckeye fans hope he's learned from last season in that regard.