Ohio State's engines ran out of fuel at Illinois to snap a three-game winning streak on Sunday, but the Buckeyes are still in a solid position this season.
Entrenched on the NCAA Tournament bubble, Jake Diebler's squad is hovering just one game below .500 in Big Ten play. Getting back to that landmark will be no small feat, however.
Maryland comes to Value City Arena on Thursday a bit more than two months after handing Ohio State one of its worst losses of the season on Dec. 4. The Terrapins smacked the Buckeyes 83-59 in a game that wasn't even as close as that score indicates. Diebler's young squad has made massive strides since that contest, but the rematch will be a test of all of them.
One day after Ohio State's loss to the Fighting Illini and three days before the Buckeyes face Maryland, Diebler met with the media to discuss where things stand with his team. He wants to see his bunch play "smarter" with fewer turnovers, fouls and poor shots, also emphasizing their movement on offense as a chance at revenge awaits.
“Right now, we have everything to play for. Everything is right in front of us. We've positioned ourselves well enough to be playing really meaningful games right now. Every game is important.”– Jake Diebler
Ohio State is in NCAA Tournament conversation during the month of February, something that could not be said in either of its past two seasons. Diebler acknowledged there are a few results he'd like to have back from earlier in the campaign but a strong close to his first year at the helm will have the Buckeyes dancing for the first time since 2022.
“Naturally, there is. We're really a completely different team than we were then. But make no mistake, we haven't forgotten about that.”– Jake Diebler on if there's a revenge element to playing Maryland
Handling Maryland's frontcourt will be key to generating a different result from last time, when a 34-7 first-half run had the Terrapins up 50-17 at halftime. Ohio State's coalesced much better on both sides of the ball since then, especially toward the end of January, but Thursday provides a direct litmus test.
“We gotta play a little bit smarter. Some of it's shot selection at times, and some of our turnovers. Some of it's execution defensively, the communication at times, or fouling. We're having some fouls that, it’s almost a mental lapse for a second.”– Jake Diebler on where his team still needs to grow
Diebler praised the toughness, togetherness and energy his team has played with recently, but there are still mental mistakes he wants to see rectified. He said there are two to five possessions a game where the Buckeyes are bailing out opponents with fouls. To him, it's the next step for his squad to take.
