Ohio State basketball keeps it rolling with a win over Michigan

Ever since the Ohio State basketball program decided to let Chris Holtmann go, the Buckeyes have been on a roll. Coming into Sunday afternoon, they had beaten Purdue, Michigan State, and Nebraska. They were hoping to avenge a loss to Michigan that happened earlier in the year.

The Buckeyes came into their matchup with TTUN knowing that they have an outside path to the NCAA Tournament. They needed to beat Michigan and Rutgers in the final two games of the season., They were able to take care of step one of that plan as they destroyed Michigan 84-61.

It was a tale of two halves for the Buckeyes. They had just a five-point lead at the half, leading just 32-27. They didn't have their best offensive half. A switch was flipped in the second half that was propelled by their defense. They forced TTUN into 18 turnovers.

Bruce Thornton was back as the focal point of the offense. After missing the Nebraska game with a migraine, he led the Buckeyes in scoring with 17 points, with most of those coming from the free throw line. He was 10/10 from the charity stripe.

Roddy Gayle also pitched in 15 points. He came off the bench because Owen Spencer started for Senior Day. When he and Thornton are on offensively, this Buckeye team is a lot harder to handle. It gives Jamison Battle room to not have his best day. He was still 3/5 from the floor.

The work is not done for the Ohio State basketball team. They still have to beat Rutgers to finish off the year. They have a week to rest, so they should be ready to go. Winning a second road game is a must for this team, especially since Rutgers isn't a good team.

The response this team has had with Jake Diebler as the coach has been fantastic. I hope they keep it up.