The Ohio State basketball team has done a good job of beating up on lower competition. Most of their wins have come against foes who don't play in a power conference. The lone solid win they had coming into Saturday night was a one-point victory over Notre Dame.
Most of those wins had come at home, as well. In fact, the Buckeyes lost their only true road game, losing to Pitt on a buzzer-beater. That would have given them an opportunity for a massive victory to put on their resume. They were looking to make up for that in a game against West Virginia.
It didn't look good early, but the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to beat the Mountaineers in double overtime, 89-88. It was a game that Ohio State needed for their resume, and it was one of the few clutch games that they have been able to win under head coach Jake Diebler.
Ohio State basketball team gets rare clutch victory vs. Wes Virginia
Bruce Thornton is the main reason why Ohio State was able to win this game. He hit the game-winning shot with just over two seconds left in double overtime. He led the team with 21 points, even though he was just 1-8 from beyond the 3-point line.
Thornton is the only player whom the Buckeyes can rely upon on a regular basis. He's by far the best player that the Buckeyes have. The team will go as he goes, and he is going to be the key player who might be able to break the NCAA Tournament drought.
This is a win that Ohio State will be able to point to at the end of the season to help their Tournament resume. They will get another opportunity for a statement victory against North Carolina next weekend. That would give them their first ranked win of the season.