The Ohio State basketball team fell in a game against TTUN on Friday that would have given them a real shot to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in quite a while. Instead, they collapsed over the last seven minutes, and that was the end of that.
On Monday night, the Buckeyes took on Penn State on a very cold and snowy night. It looked like they were going to run away with it and keep the Nittany Lions winless in Big Ten play with ease. Unfortunately, they started to collapse. But they were able to survive this time.
The Ohio State Buckeyes were able to beat Penn State 84-78 to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. A loss to the Nittany Lions would almost certainly be the nail in the coffin when it comes to their hopes of playing meaningful basketball in March for the first time in four seasons.
The Ohio State basketball team survived a massive scare from Penn State
John Mobley Jr. was one of the big reasons why the Buckeyes were able to win this game. He scored 25 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. He continues his strong play, which is something Ohio State desperately needs, especially with some of the injuries they have suffered.
The other big reason they won this game is that they finally got some production from the bench. Taison Chatman scored 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench. It was one of the few times that Ohio State has been able to get some help from someone not in the starting lineup.
Ohio State can't afford any slip-ups against the terrible teams left on its schedule. Jake Diebler will certainly have some lessons to teach his team before they lace up their shoes next. They can't make these mistakes every game and expect to win.