Ohio State basketball takes down Nebraska without their best player

The Ohio State basketball team finally won a road game over the weekend when they beat Michigan State. They were looking to capitalize on that momentum by getting a win at home over a 20-win Nebraska team. But they got some bad news right before tip-off.

Ohio State found out that they weren't going to have the services of Bruce Thornton. Thornton is their best player and has been their best player for each of the last two seasons. He has been the only reliable scorer the Buckeyes have had. Without him, winning this game was going to be tough.

Everyone else stepped up in his absence. The Ohio State Buckeyes got the win 78-69. It was one of the most impressive wins from the Buckeyes this season. All of a sudden, they have a slight case to make the NCAA Tournament if they can finish off their last two games with a win.

It was the Jamison Battle game. Battle was unbelievable in this one, scoring 32 points. He was the primary source of offense and nailed four three-pointers. Most importantly, he hit all ten of his free throws. That's something the Ohio State basketball team has struggled with in the past.

Jake Diebler is building himself a pretty good case to keep the head coaching job full-time. He's beaten Purdue, Michigan State, and Nebraska so far. I know Ross Bjork has had conversations with some other coaches, but Diebler is doing a great job in a tough situation.

If the Buckeyes do somehow make the NCAA Tournament, Diebler has to get the job. He would have brought this program back from the dead. The NIT actually seems feasible for this team now. They have two more teams left on their schedule to beat, but both teams are beatable.

The Buckeyes take on the worst team in the Big Ten in their next game when they take on TTUN. That game is on Sunday in the Schott. Their final game is at Rutgers. Winning those two games, plus two in the Big Ten tournament, and all of a sudden they might earn a March Madness berth.