Ohio State probably can't win the Big Ten regular-season title.
After an 0-4 start in conference play, the Buckeyes put themselves in quite a hole right out of the gate. There was — and still is — a ton of ground to make up in such a competitive league.
But with wins in three of its last four games, and the current logjam in the middle of the Big Ten standings, Ohio State can absolutely still be a factor in how things finish.
As it stands right now, Maryland, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue somewhat separated themselves from the rest of the pack. The Terrapins and Badgers sit each sit at 6-1 in Big Ten play while the Wildcats and Boilermakers are 6-2.
After that, however, it is about as wide open as a league can get.
The next nine teams in the Big Ten Standings (so No. 5 through No. 13) all currently have either a 4-4 or 3-5 record in the conference. That means as the Buckeyes prepare for their ninth league game of the season Saturday at Iowa — the halfway point — there's still plenty of time to ascend up the conference ladder toward the top.
There are nine Big Ten teams currently either 4-4 or 3-5 in league play. pic.twitter.com/4YSw6ook2M
— Tim Shoemaker (@TimShoemaker) January 27, 2017
"We’re just taking it one game at a time," junior forward Jae'Sean Tate said. "There were some instances where we were 2-5 or lost four-straight and coach [Thad] Matta brought us together and was like, ‘It’s not over. We’re not out of this yet. It’s a tight race, everything can happen.'"
"We’ve just got to go out there every game we play and try to win. The rest will take care of itself.”
As most coaches would publicly, Matta said he doesn't look at the Big Ten standings much. It's all about the next game and, for the Buckeyes, that's against an Iowa team which has lost three straight.
“I don’t. I’m more just like, ‘Let’s just keep winning basketball games,’" Matta said. "In the end, I am aware of this: Saturday's game turns the halfway point. I think there’s so much that has to be done but I know there is a logjam or whatever, but we’ll see how it plays out.”
So don't expect to see another Big Ten regular-season championship banner hung from the rafters at Value City Arena. Even if Ohio State won the rest of its games, a 13-5 conference record probably wouldn't be good enough to get a share of the league crown. The four teams that put some distance between them and the rest of the pack would all have to collapse.
But the Buckeyes can salvage this season by finishing in the top half of the league should they perform better down the stretch run. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm has Ohio State in his 'Last Four In' in his latest NCAA tournament projections, too, so that's not entirely out of the question.
A strong second half is needed, however, for that to become a reality. And the Buckeyes need a victory Saturday in Iowa City to make that possible.
“We’ve got to play more consistent," Matta said. "This team, throughout this entire season has played some really, really good basketball. There’s just got to be more of a consistency in terms of offensive execution, not as many lapses defensively, taking care of the basketball."
"We’ve got to do a lot of things better, but that consistent level of play is probably the No. 1 thing for me the rest of the way.”
