Cautionary optimism for Ohio State Basketball

As the 2023-24 season continues to roll for the Ohio State basketball team, I continue to not get my hopes up... until I start watching them play. On Saturday night, the Buckeyes traveled to Indiana and lost 71-65. They lost, but there were some really good moments for the team. They raced out of halftime to a 9-point lead and felt like all of the air was taken out of Assembly Hall. However, the Hoosiers stormed back to hand the Buckeyes another road loss.

I understand how hard it is to win at Indiana. Kansas nearly lost there earlier in the season. However, that was a game that they needed to win. Offensively, the team had great looks from three but were not able to make wide-open shots in the second half. Defensively, Malik Reneau killed them in the paint with 23 points.

As we enter the swing of Big Ten conference games, the Buckeyes have eight more road games, as well as tough home games with Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Realistically, the only loss should be Texas A&M. Penn State was given to them by our lack of awareness in the second half and Indiana should have been a win if they knocked down some timely shots. However, the team is sitting at 12-3 and 2-2 in the conference.

I know that the Buckeyes will lose some tough games during the year and we will be okay and probably make the tournament. However, we need to beat the bad teams on the schedule, as well as win some road games to instill confidence in players, coaches, and fans.

I don't live near Columbus, so I can't attend games, but there needs to be some excitement around this team, and that starts with going to the games and showing the guys some support.